Guide To Rural England - Somerset

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F stories and anecdotes G famous people H art and craft I entertainment and sport J walks
A historic building B museum and heritage C historic site D scenic attraction E flora and fauna
Looking for somewhere to stay, eat, drink or shop? www.findsomewhere.co.uk
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LOCATOR MAP
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Milton
Abbas
Sturminster
Newton
Wanstrow
Maid
Brad
Stourton
Higher
Ansty
Gillingha
Shaftes
Blan
F
DORSET
DEVON
CARDIFF
WILTS
SOMERSET
VALE OF
GLAMORGAN
Milton
Abbas
Culmstock
Hemyock
Bickleigh
Chawleigh Withleigh
Down St Mary
Lapford
Thelbridge
Exebridge
Membury
Alweston
Marnhull
Bampton
Upottery
Chardstock
Cheriton
Fitzpaine
Sampford
Peverell
Porthkerry
Rumney
Bonvilston
Ogmore-by-Sea
Marshfield
Bra
on-
Badmin
Old Sodbury
Swainswick
Warmley
Wookey
Hole
Washford
Dunster
Chelwood
Lower
Langford
Hunstrete
Othery
Exford
Withypool
Dulverton
Simonsbath
Wiveliscombe
Cheddon
Fitzpaine
Lydford-
on-Fosse
Porlock
North Molton
Stogursey
Elworthy
Holford
North Petherton
Wedmore
Westhay
Brean
Sheldon
Monkton
Up
Exe
Cadbury
Colliton
Cutcombe
Brendon
Hill
Cove
West Buckland
Triscombe
South
Petherton
Moorlinch
Coxley
Bruton
Stratton
on the Fosse
Chew
Magna
Godney
Dunkerton
Wanstrow
Yeovilton
Sparkford
Stoke-sub-Hamdon
Wraxall
Kingsdon
Castle Cary
Henlade
Blagdon
Muchelney
Maid
Brad
Stourton
Rode
Higher
Ansty
Tytherleigh
Melbury
Osmond
Hinton S
Corntown
Wick
Marcross
St Bride's
Major
Langport
Lynmouth
Lynton
Cullompton
Somerton
Winscombe
Yatton
Radstock
Midsomer
Norton
Keynsham
Long
Ashton
Gillingha
Llantwit
Major
Pencoed
Pyle
Radyr
Portishead
Pucklechurch
Box
Coity
Sha
Blan
F
Crewkerne Chard
Ilminster
Wellington
Sherborne
Cowbridge
Shepton Mallet
Cheddar
Congresbury
Avonmouth
Wells
Watchet
Glastonbury
Street
South Molton
Wincanton
Nailsea
Penarth
Chipping
Sodbury
Taunton
Yeovil
Tiverton
Barry
Porthcawl
Bridgend
Frome
Wa
Trow
Clevedon
Burnham-on-Sea
Bridgwater
Minehead
Bath
Weston-
super-Mare
CARDIFF
BRISTOL
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Towns and Villages
Axbridge pg 68
Baltonsborough pg 62
Banwell pg 76
Barrington pg 36
Barrow Gurney pg 74
Barwick pg 44
Bath pg 78
Bathford pg 81
Bishops Lydeard pg 28
Bradford-on-Tone pg 26
Brean pg 32
Bridgwater pg 29
Bristol pg 69
Bruton pg 53
Burnham-on-Sea pg 30
Burrow Bridge pg 25
Cameley pg 57
Carhampton pg 17
Castle Cary pg 52
Chard pg 39
Charlton Mackrell pg 43
Charterhouse pg 68
Cheddar pg 66
Cheddon Fitzpaine pg 24
Chew Magna pg 72
Claverton pg 81
Clevedon pg 75
Congresbury pg 74
Crewkerne pg 38
Dowlish Wake pg 37
Dulverton pg 13
Dunster pg 13
Dyrham pg 81
East Lambrook pg 48
East Quantoxhead pg 20
Enmore pg 34
Farleigh Hungerford pg 82
Frome pg 61
Glastonbury pg 62
Glastonbury Tor pg 64
Haselbury Plucknett pg 39
Hatch Beauchamp pg 26
Henbury pg 78
Highbridge pg 30
Hinton Priory pg 81
Hinton St George pg 37
Ilchester pg 42
Ilminster pg 35
Keynsham pg 83
Langport pg 50
Liscombe pg 12
Lullington pg 58
Martock pg 48
Meare pg 64
Mells pg 57
Midsomer Norton pg 57
Minehead pg 5
Monksilver pg 19
Montacute pg 45
Muchelney pg 49
Nether Stowey pg 35
Norton Fitzwarren pg 28
Norton St Philip pg 83
Nunney pg 59
Oare pg 11
Pitminster pg 26
Porlock pg 8
Porlock Weir pg 10
Selworthy pg 7
Shepton Mallet pg 58
Somerton pg 51
Sparkford pg 43
Stoke St Gregory pg 24
Stoke sub Hamdon pg 46
Stratton-on-the-Fosse pg 56
Street pg 64
Tatworth pg 40
Taunton pg 20
Templecombe pg 54
Tintinhull pg 46
Wambrook pg 40
Washford pg 17
Watchet pg 18
Wedmore pg 65
Wellington pg 26
Wells pg 55
West Coker pg 44
Weston-super-Mare pg 76
Westonzoyland pg 32
Williton pg 18
Wincanton pg 54
Winsford pg 13
Wiveliscombe pg 27
Wookey pg 65
Wookey Hole pg 65
Wraxall pg 77
Yeovil pg 41
Yeovilton pg 43
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Was Cadbury Castle really King Arthurs
Camelot? Did Joseph of Arimathea really walk
through Englands green and pleasant land to
plant a thorn from Christs crown of thorns at
Glastonbury, where it blossomed once a year
on the day of Christs resurrection? Was it
really at Athelney that King Alfred, deep in
thought, allowed the cakes to burn? Myth and
legend seem to be as integral to Somerset as
its cider orchards and Cheddar cheese, its free-
roaming ponies on Exmoor and the olde-
worlde pubs with their skittle alleys.
Many literary luminaries found inspiration
here. Exmoor provided the setting for RD
Blackmores great historical romance Lorna
Doone; Wordsworth and Coleridge both lived
in the county for several years and it was
during their countless walks over the Somerset
hills that they fashioned their Lyrical Ballads, a
new kind of plain speaking verse that inspired
the Romantic Revolution. Tennyson was a
frequent visitor to the county and it was for
his Clevedon friend, Arthur Hallam, that he
spent 17 years perfecting his great lyrical poem
In Memoriam.
Hallam was a member of the Elton family
whose great house, Clevedon Court, is just
one of many fine mansions within the county
borders. Others include the late-medieval
stone manor house of Lytes Cary, the
Palladian Hatch Court and the exquisite
Montacute House, built in the late 16th
century for Elizabeth Is Master of the
Rolls. The fine houses are sometimes
overshadowed by their gardens. There are
some splendid examples here, particularly
those, such as Barrington Court,
Hestercombe Gardens and Tintinhull
House Gardens, that were planted, or
Somerset
influenced by, the early 20th-century landscape
gardener, Gertrude Jekyll.
A wealth of prehistoric remains have been
found within the county, but two of the areas
most popular and famous attractions are both
natural Cheddar Gorge and the caves at
Wookey Hole. With cliffs over 400 feet high
on either side of the road that runs through
the bottom of the gorge, Cheddar is indeed a
spectacular sight, while the caves at Wookey
Hole, from which the River Axe emerges, are
famous for their echos and for their fantastic
stalagmite and stalactite formations.
Somerset also contains the smallest city in
England, Wells. It is also one of the countrys
most delightful cities, clustered around its
superb cathedral. This magnificent building
boasts a truly wonderful Astronomical Clock,
which was installed in the 14th century and is
still functioning perfectly.
To the north of the Mendip Hills lies the
city of Bath, which in the 18th century
became the most fashionable spa town in the
country. Some 1600 years earlier, it was equally
fashionable among the Romans. Close by is
the West Countrys largest city, Bristol, Sir
John Betjemans favourite English city, which,
he asserted, had the finest architectural
heritage of any city outside London.
Somerset Levels near Othery
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Minehead
E North Hill Nature Reserve
I West Somerset Railway
Award-winning floral displays and gardens, a
tree-lined avenue leading to a recently
constructed promenade and a sandy beach, a
wide range of shops, pubs, restaurants and
open-air cafs, and an extensive choice of
family attractions and amusements
Minehead has everything you expect of a
successful English seaside resort. There are
still thatched cottages in the picturesque
Higher Town, and the unspoilt acres of the
Exmoor National Park stretch away to the
west and south.
Despite sounding like a product of the
industrial age, Minehead is an attractive and
popular seaside town, lying at the foot of the
wooded promontory known as North Hill. It
is one of the oldest settlements in Somerset. A
busy Bristol Channel port since the time of
the Celts, the old harbour lies in the lee of
North Hill, making it one of the safest landing
places in the West Country. At one time, ships
FAVOURITE THINGS JEWELLERY & GIFTS
47 The Avenue, Minehead, Somerset TA24 5BB
Tel: 01643 709403
e-mail: sally.chilton@virgin.net
website: www.favouritethingsonline.co.uk
On Mineheads tree-lined main shopping street, Favourite Things sells
a wide range of contemporary jewellery, things to wear, things for the home and gifts for any
occasion. Owner Sally Chilton ensures that shopping is fun with her fun and funky jewellery, some
glass, some beaded, some made of porcelain and some in classic silver. Among the other best-
sellers are beaded bags, pashminas, scarves, decorative glass, wooden toys and puzzles, scented
candles, soaps, crystals and many local and fair trade products. Shop hours are 10.30 to 5.30
Monday to Saturday and 11 to 4 on Sunday. Everything in stock here can also be ordered online.
GERALD DAVID & FAMILY
3 Park Street, Minehead, Somerset TA24 5NQ
Tel 01643 702843
website: www.geralddavid.co.uk
Three Generations of Master Butchers
Our family have taken pride in selecting what we believe to be the
best fresh, not frozen beef,lamb and pork for over 40 years.
Come and meet our friendly Master Butchers who will happily give you advice on cuts,cooking
times and delicious recipes. If you are travelling we can pack your purchase in dry ice to ensure it
reaches your onward destination in pristine condition.
Minehead Beach
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arrived here with wool and livestock from
Ireland, crops from the plantations of
Virginia, coal from the South Wales valleys
and day trippers from Cardiff and Bristol. The
merchants and paddle steamers have gone and
nowadays the harbour is the peaceful haunt of
sailing dinghies and pleasure craft.
There is a good view of the old port from
the North Hill Nature Reserve, and a
three-mile-walk starting near the lifeboat
station on the harbour side is an excellent
way to explore this area of Minehead and its
surroundings. The 14th-century parish
Church of St Michael stands in a prominent
position below North Hill. For centuries, a
light was kept burning in its tower to help
guide ships into the harbour. Inside, the
church contains a number of unusual
features, including a rare medieval prayer
book, or missal, which once belonged to
Richard Fitzjames, a local vicar who went on
to become Bishop of London in 1506.
The decline of Minehead as a port was
offset by its gradual expansion as a seaside
resort and the town went to great lengths to
attract a suitably genteel clientele. So much so,
in fact, that there was a local bylaw in force
until 1890 that forbad anyone over 10 years of
age from swimming in the sea except from a
bathing machine, tent or other effective
screen. The arrival of the railway in 1874
failed to trigger the rapid expansion
experienced by some other seaside resorts.
Nevertheless, during World War One,
Minehead was able to provide an escape from
the ravages of war at timeless establishments
like the Strand Hotel, where guests were
entertained by such stars as Anna Pavolva and
Gladys Cooper.
Changes to Minehead over the years have
been gradual, but the most momentous change
came in 1962 when Billy Butlin opened a
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holiday camp at the eastern end of the
esplanade. Now updated, this popular attraction
has done much to transform present-day
Minehead into an all-round family resort.
The town is also the northern terminus of
the West Somerset Railway (see panel
opposite), the privately-owned steam railway
that runs for 20 miles between the resort and
Bishops Lydeard, just northwest of Taunton.
Vintage locomotives up to 80 years old trundle
along the route that follows the coast as far as
Blue Anchor, which has a station next to the
beach and a small Great Western Railway
museum, then on to Watchet, which has a
Victorian station with a small gift shop. The
route then turns inland and travels through
peaceful countryside to Bishops Lydeard.
Around Minehead
SELWORTHY
3 miles W of Minehead off the A39
E Holnicote Estate
E Horner & Dunkery National Nature Reserve
B Allerford Museum
This picturesque and much photographed
village is situated on the side of a wooded hill.
Its cob and thatch cottages look timeless, but
were in fact built in the 19th century by the
local lord of the manor to provide housing for
his estate workers.
Just to the northwest of the village rises
Selworthy Beacon, one of the highest points
on the vast Holnicote Estate. Covering some
12,500 acres of Exmoor National Park, the
estate includes a four-mile stretch of coastline
between Minehead and Porlock Weir. There
are few estates in the country that offer such a
variety of landscape. There are north-facing
cliffs along the coast, traditional villages and
hamlets of cottages and farms and the
Horner and Dunkery National Nature
Reserve where Dunkery Beacon, the highest
point on Exmoor, rises to 1700 feet. Virtually
the full length of the Horner Water lies within
the estate, from its source on the high
STUART LOWEN FARM SHOP
4B Hawksworth Road, Minehead, Somerset TA24 5BZ
Tel: 01643 706034
e-mail: stuart.lowen@live.com
website: www.stuartlowen.co.uk
Located next door to Tesco on the A39 seafront road just outside
Minehead, the Stuart Lowen Farm Shop specialises in top quality local
meat and poultry. Stuart is a qualified butcher and rears his own lambs on 17 acres at nearby
Hopcott. The shop also sells a superb range of sausages, local fresh vegetables, some excellent
cheese, local home-made cakes, ready made meals and ice cream from Styles of Rodhuish. The
shop offers free local delivery and the produce is also available by mail through the website.
Dunkery Beacon
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moorland to the sea at Bossington Beach, one
of the best examples of a shingle storm beach
in the country. The whole area is noted for its
diversity of wildlife and the many rare plant
species to be found.
This National Trust-owned estate has more
than 100 miles of footpaths through fields,
moors and villages for walkers to enjoy. The
South West Coast Path curves inland at
Hurlstone Point to avoid landslips in the soft
Foreland sandstone. West of this model village
is another estate village, Allerford, which has an
elegant twin-arched packhorse bridge. In
Allerfords old school is a Museum dedicated
to the rural life of West Somerset. Among its
many imaginatively presented displays are a
Victorian kitchen, a laundry and dairy, and an
old school room complete with desks, books
and childrens toys. The museum also houses
the ever-growing West Somerset Photographic
Archive covering most villages and hamlets in
the area from late Victorian times.
PORLOCK
A Dovery Manor D Porlock Hill
J Coleridge Way
An ancient settlement once frequented by
Saxon kings, in recent decades Porlock has
become a popular riding and holiday centre.
The charming village is filled with lovely old
buildings, most notably the 15th-century
Dovery Manor (now a museum) with its
striking traceried hall window, and the largely
13th-century parish church that lost the top
section of its spire during a thunderstorm in
the 17th century. Porlock has the feel of a
community at the end of the world as it lies at
the foot of Porlock Hill, a notorious incline
HARTSHANGER EXMOOR HOLIDAYS
VB****
Toll Road, Porlock, Somerset TA24 8JH
Tel: 01643 862700
e-mail: hartshanger@lineone.net
website: www.hartshanger.com
Hartshanger Exmoor Holidays is based in a handsome
Edwardian villa set above the village of Porlock in the
heart of Exmoor National Park. Alanna Edward and her
family offer self-catering accommodation in two
beautifully appointed flats with beams, sloping ceilings
and patchwork quilts. High Hanger, with a double and a
twin bedroom, is on the top floor of the main house, while
Little Hanger, with three bedrooms, is located in the
coach house. Both flats have a fully equipped kitchen,
comfortable sitting room, hairdryer, ironing facilities, TV
with video/DVD and radio-alarm. Wi-Fi is available.
Its a lovely, quiet place to stay, with five acres of
gardens and grounds (including an all-weather tennis
court) and glorious views over Porlock Bay and the Bristol
Channel across to Wales, and the loudest noises guests
are likely to hear are the surf and the seabirds. The shops and pubs and restaurants of Porlock are
a short walk away, and there are facilities nearby for sea and river fishing, horse riding and cycling
for guests who bring their own bikes Hartshanger has secure storage and a washing down area.
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DETAILS FOR THE HOME
1 Lowerbourne House, High Street, Porlock,
Somerset TA24 8PT
Tel: 01643 863511
e-mail: detailsforthehome@talktalkbusiness.net
Details for the Home was established in 2006.
The owners have a passionate interest in interior
decoration and have gathered together an
eclectic selection of unusual and intriguing
items. All of them are practical and useful and
are sold at very reasonable prices.
Amongst the furniture items are dressers and
cupboards in soft tones of white, cream or grey.
Theres also a range of mirrors and clocks,
kitchenware, picture frames, candleholders,
vases, and much, much more. Fabrics include
tablecloths, napkins, cushions and throws.
The shops reputation has spread far and
wide, with visitors from London and the Home
Counties, and it also has a loyal following among
local people.
CHURCHGATE GALLERY
High Street, Porlock, Somerset TA24 8PT
Tel: 01643 802238
website: www.churchgategallery.co.uk
Will and Rachel Rayner opened their first gallery
in Minehead in 1988 and in the summer of
2010 they opened the Churchgate Gallery on
Porlocks main street.
The Gallery, which is open daily from 11am,
displays a large and eclectic selection of original
paintings in oils, pastels and watercolours,
original prints and etchings, limited edition
prints, photography, jewellery, books and artist
greetings cards. Many of the pieces are inspired
by the local coast and countryside. The
excellent website includes details of some of
the artists currently shown.
The Gallery also offers high-quality framing
and gicle printing services, which are offered,
with similar high standards, at the sister
company Courtyard Farming & Gallery in Friday
Street, Minehead. Tel: 01643 705648.
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where the road rises 1350 feet in less than
three miles, with a gradient of 1 in 4 in places.
Porlock lies at the western end of the
Coleridge Way, a 36-mile-long walk that takes
in some of the countys most beautiful
landscapes and ends at Nether Stowey,
one-time home of the poet Samuel Taylor
Coleridge. Coleridge was a passionate walker
and once walked from Nether Stowey to
Porlock in a day. Most modern day walkers
allow three to four days.
PORLOCK WEIR
B Doverhay Garage
E Porlock Weir Marine Aquariums
H Exmoor Glass D Submerged Forest
A Culborne Church
Today, this hamlet has a small tide-affected
harbour full of fishing boats and yachts but
Porlock Weir was once an important seaport.
The Danes sacked it on a number of
occasions in the 10th century. In 1052,
Harold, the future king of England, landed
here from Ireland to begin a short-lived
career that ended at the Battle of Hastings in
1066. A pleasant and picturesque place,
Porlock Weir offers a number of interesting
Porlock Weir
GLEN LODGE COUNTRY HOUSE
Hawkcombe, Porlock, Somerset TA24 8LN
Tel: 01643 863371 Fax: 01643 863016
e-mail: glenlodge@gmail.com
website: www.glenlodge.net
Beautifully located overlooking Porlock bay, set within 21 lovely
acres of woodland and lush landscaped gardens, Glen Lodge
Country House is the perfect location for your escape to the
countryside. Glen Lodge is perfectly situated for walking to and
around Exmoor, bird watching, exploring the northern Somerset and
Devon countryside, relaxing on one of the nearby beaches, or just
staying around its gardens to unwind. A short walk from the house
takes you to the centre of Porlock with unique local shops, pubs,
museums, galleries and restaurants.
The accommodation is, as you would expect, elegant and kept
to the highest standard; each room has been individually decorated
and has its own unique character. Of the five rooms in the Hotel,
three are en-suite and two have private bathrooms, and all have fabulous views of either the
stunning coastline or the lovely sprawling acres of garden. The owners, who have lived here for
five years, are wonderful hosts, and always endeavour to do their upmost to cater for all of their
guests. This is reflected in the breakfast included with your stay, which has such a huge variety
there will be something for any taste; you can have the traditional full English, waffles, pancakes,
muffins, or souffls, as well as a whole spread of fresh fruit, cereals and yogurts all organic,
freshly cooked, and locally sourced where possible.
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WALK|11
attractions, including a 100-year-old garage,
Doverhay Garage, which is now a museum
displaying vintage cars and motoring
memorabilia. Porlock Weir Marine
Aquariums, opened in 2009, celebrates the
variety of marine life to be found in and
along the shores of the Bristol Channel.
Visitors can watch flounder, bass, blennies
and various kinds of wrasse in the numerous
tanks, and spot turbot and rays and many
other species in the large open pool. And at
Exmoor Glass you can purchase items in its
Cranberry Range glassware made in the
traditional manner, as well as jewellery and
other goods. A short distance offshore from
Porlock weir is a Submerged Forest, a relic
of the Ice Age that can be seen at low tide.
From Porlock Weir an attractive one-and-a-
half-mile walk leads up through walnut and
oak trees to Culbone Church, arguably the
smallest church in regular use in England,
and certainly one of the most picturesque. A
true hidden treasure, measuring only 33 feet
by 14 feet, this superb part-Norman building
is set in a wooded combe that once
supported a small charcoal burning
community, and was at other times home to
French prisoners and lepers.
OARE
G RD Blackmore
Set deep in a secluded valley, Oare is one of
the highlights for pilgrims following the Lorna
Doone Trail. According to RD Blackmores
novel, it was in the narrow little 15th-century
church here that his heroine was shot at the
wedding altar by the villainous Carver Doone.
Blackmore knew the church well since his
grandfather was rector here in the mid 1800s.
NO. 7 HARBOUR STUDIOS
Porlock Weir, nr Minehead, Somerset TA24 8P
Tel: 01643 862468
e-mail: no7pashminas@hotmail.co.uk
Located opposite Porlock Weirs attractive harbour, No7 invites
you into a den of delights. The air is gently scented from the range
of Branche dOlive soaps, candles, room diffusers and much more
made in the South of France.
Your eye alights on the display of hand picked Pashminas,
woven and embroidered by hand in Kashmir in an enticing palette
of colours and designs.
There is an unusual selection of cushion covers and bedspreads
from fine organza
backed cutwork,
sumptuous silks to
richly textured
Khambardia patched pieces. Arrays of wall panels
decorate the walls along with cushion covers and
hangings made from antique textiles interspersed
with a few tribal artefacts.
Quality and beauty are the prime objective in
this small space and you are always assured of find
something different.
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A placard inside the church indicates the
most likely window used by Carver Doone to
fire the shot that almost proved fatal to the
novels heroine, and a memorial to the author
is set into the wall of the church beside the
south door.
LISCOMBE
13 miles SW of Minehead off the
B3223
C Tarr Steps
Just west of the moorland
village of Liscombe is an
extraordinary survival from
prehistoric times. Tarr Steps is
the longest clapper bridge
anywhere in the world, its huge
stone slabs supported by low
stone pillars extending 180 feet
across the River Barle. Its a mystery where the
stones slabs came from since there are no
similar rocks anywhere near. Geologists
believe they were probably left here by
retreating glaciers at the close of the Ice Age.
EMMETTS GRANGE COUNTRY HOUSE
ACCOMMODATION
Simonsbath, Exmoor National Park, Somerset TA24 7LD
Tel: 01643 831138 Fax: 01643 831093
e-mail: mail@emmettgrange.co.uk
website: www.emmettsgrange.co.uk
Emmetts Grange offers quiet, comfortable accommodation in an
oasis of friendly civilisation amid the glorious Exmoor National Park
scenery on the Somerset-Devon border. The graceful Georgian-
style house stands southwest of Simonsbath at the end of a half-
mile private drive, set in its own 900-acre estate. The house has
five beautifully decorated and furnished en suite guest bedrooms
doubles, twins and a family room. Each has its own particular
charm and character: one has a super-king size bed with an
additional single bed, another has a splendid antique four-poster.
One room, the Linhay, a small barn conversion with a kitchen and
eating area, can be booked on a B&B or self-catering basis.
Owners Tom and Lucy love cooking, and the breakfast here is definitely not to be missed. For
those opting for an evening meal, breakfast is the time to discuss Toms excellent four-course
dinners, which often feature superb local produce including seafood, Red Devon beef and seasonal
game. Guests have the use of three day rooms a drawing room for drink and a chat, a library for
a quiet read or gentle study and a morning room where guests can practise their skills on the
Steinway as well as the run of the lovely lawns, gardens and grounds. Emmetts Grange is an
ideal base for touring, walking (the Two Moors Way and the Tarka Trail both pass nearby), cycling,
riding, fishing or just relaxing. Tom and Lucy can arrange hunting, shooting and fishing trips.
Tarr Steps
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WINSFORD
7 miles S of Minehead off the A396
One of the prettiest villages in Exmoor, with
picturesque thatched cottages, a ford and no
fewer than seven bridges, including an old
packhorse bridge. On a rise to the west of the
village stands the medieval church with a
handsome tall tower that dominates both the
village and the surrounding area. This idyllic
spot was the birthplace of the firebrand
Ernest Bevin, founder of the Transport &
General Workers Union, World War Two
statesman and Foreign Secretary in the post-
war Labour government.
DULVERTON
12 miles S of Minehead on the B3222
B Guildhall Heritage & Arts Centre
E Exmoor Pony Centre
Dulverton is a lively little town set in the
wooded valley of the River Barle on the
southern edge of Exmoor. Small though it is,
the town boasts a surprising variety of
attractions and in recent years has come to
challenge Dunster in popularity. The Exmoor
National Park has an excellent Visitor Centre
here, housed in what used to be the local
workhouse. Close by is the Guildhall
Heritage & Arts Centre, which has displays
on Dulvertons history over the past century
and is also home to the Exmoor
Photographic Archive, which stages special
exhibitions throughout the year. An integral
part of the centre is Granny Bakers Cottage
with its authentic Victorian kitchen. Theres
also a gallery that provides a showcase for the
work of local artists and craftspeople. The
Centre is open from mid April to the
beginning of November.
Its a pleasure to stroll around the town with
its ancient bridge, traditional hostelries, cosy
tearoom and family-run shops selling anything
from antiquarian books to country clothing,
gifts to old-fashioned fish and chips. Regular
community markets offer a wide range of
local crafts, while the highlights of the year in
Dulverton are the Carnival, held on the first
Saturday in October, and Dulverton by
Starlight on the first Sunday in December.
Just outside Dulverton, at Ashwick, the
Exmoor Pony Centre offers rides on these
sturdy little beasts. Because of their size, the
riders weight is restricted to 76kg.
DUNSTER
2 miles SE of Minehead on the A396
A Dunster Castle A Dunster Working Watermill
A Dunster Priory A Luttrell Arms A Dovecote
A Church of St George
Although Dunster is one of the most popular
Fore Street, Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9EX
Tel 01398 323308
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of Exmoors villages, this ancient
settlement is also one of the least
typical as it lies in the fertile valley of
the River Avill. No visitor will be
surprised to learn that this landscape
inspired Mrs Alexander to compose the
hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful. The
village is dominated by Dunster Castle
standing outside the village on the top
of the wooded Conygar Hill. Founded
by William de Mohun on this natural
promontory above the River Avill, just
a few years before the Domesday Book
was completed in 1089, the castle passed into
the hands of the Luttrell family in 1379. It
remained in that family until it was given to
the National Trust in 1976 by Lt Col GWF
Luttrell. The medieval castle was remodelled
in 1617 by William Arnold. During the
English Civil War, Dunster Castle was one of
the last Royalist strongholds in the West
Country to fall. The garrison only surrendered
after a siege lasting 160 days. While several
Jacobean interiors have survived, the castle
underwent major alterations during the latter
part of the 17th century. Some of the finest
features date from that period, in particular
the superb plasterwork in the dining room and
the magnificent balustraded main staircase
THE DUNSTER CASTLE HOTEL
Exmoor National Park, Dunster, Somerset TA24 6SF
Tel: 01643 823030
e-mail: thedunstercastlehotel@googlemail.com
website: www.dunstercastlehotel.co.uk
The Dunster Castle Hotel offers contemporary style with
traditional comfort at the foot of the historic National
Trust property Dunster Castle, in the Exmoor National
Park. The hotel building, with its medieval cobblestone
pavement, dates back to about 1750 and was once the
home of the outgoing dowager of Dunster Castle The hotel
has recently been fully refurbished to a very fine standard
and the owners are highly proud of their accommodation;
eight luxury en-suite bedrooms each individually designed by
jennyd interiors to reflect the understated elegance that
runs throughout the hotel.
A stay of at least 2 to 3 nights is essential to really enjoy
the area and relax in style. The beautiful Exmoor National
Parkland and West Somerset railway are only ten minutes
drive away, and the coast is only half a mile from the town. Horse riding, shooting and safaris can
be organised for you by the hotel and, of course, you can visit the Castle which is almost next
door. You can also enjoy a drink or dine in the fabulous Cellar Bar or Squires Brasserie, both of
which serve the finest food prepared from local fresh produce wherever possible.
Dunster Castle
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THE CROOKED WINDOW GALLERY
7 High Street, Dunster, Somerset TA24 6SF
Tel: 01643 821606
e-mail: bob.ricketts@tiscali.co.uk
website: www.thecrookedwindow.co.uk
Opening Times:
Mon-Sat 10.30am-5.30pm
Sunday variable - please enquire
Other times by appointment
The Crooked Window Gallery is situated in
Dunsters picturesque High Street and is so named
because the movement in its timber framed
construction has caused one of the shops bay
windows to become distorted and bowed. The
building dates from the 15th century and is unusual
for its decorative 18th century plasterwork, or
pargeting, a feature quite untypical of this area.
The gallery is owned and run by Robert Ricketts.
Robert buys, sells, collects and lectures on
antiques. You might be surprised to find an
impressive collection of ancient Chinese ceramics -
not normally seen outside London.
Robert also stocks a good selection of qaulity
gemstones from which he designs and makes his
own jewellery in a choie of precious metals. Why
not commission your own piece of unique jewellery
for that special occasion. He can also alter or repiar
your existing jewellery.
Within the atmospheric interior you will find an
exciting range of jewellery in gold, silver, precious
and semi-precious stones. There are quality crafts
from other artists as well as interesting and unusual
antique items - all eminently suitable as gifts.
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with its delicately carved flora and fauna.
However, the overall medieval character of the
exterior of the present day castle is due to
restoration work undertaken by Anthony
Salvin in the 1860s when the castle was
transformed into a comfortable and opulent
country mansion. The steeply terraced gardens
with their striking collection of rare shrubs
and subtropical plants were also laid out
around this time, and the castle and gardens
are surrounded by a 28-acre deer park through
which there are several footpaths, as well as
the Arbutus Walk through the National
Collection of strawberry trees.
The parkland of Dunster Castle is also
home to another National Trust property,
Dunster Working Watermill, built in the
18th century on the site of a pre-Norman mill.
Now restored to working order, the mill,
which is run as a private business, has a shop
selling mill flour, muesli and mill souvenirs.
Theres also a tearoom by the riverside.
Remnants of the ancient feudal settlement
that grew up in the shelter of the castle can still
be seen in the village today, particularly in the
wide main street. At the north end of this street
stands a small octagonal building, the former
Yarn Market. This was erected by the Luttrells
in the early 17th century when the village was
an important cloth trading centre. Such was
Dunsters influence in this trade that a type of
woollen cloth, renowned for its quality and
strength, bears the villages name. The nearby
Luttrell Arms was converted from a private
residence into an inn in the mid 1600s.
Distinguished by its fine 15th-century porch,
the inn is one of the few places in the country
where the once common custom of burning
the ashen faggot is still observed. On Christmas
Eve, the faggot, a bundle of 12 ash branches
bound with green ash bands, is burnt in the
inns great fireplace. As each band burns
through, another round of hot punch is
ordered from the bar. While the ash is burning,
the company sings the ancient Dunster Carol
and when the faggot is finally consumed, a
charred remnant is taken from the embers
ready to light the following years fire.
The inn once belonged to Cleeve Abbey,
while the villages principal religious house,
Dunster Priory, was an outpost of Bath
Abbey. Now largely demolished, the only parts
of the priory to survive are the splendid priory
church and an unusual 12th-century dovecote
that can be seen in a nearby garden. It has a
revolving wooden ladder inside, which gave
access to the 500 nesting boxes and their eggs.
The squabs, or fledgling doves, provided a
staple element of the medieval monks diet. The
priory Church of St George, rebuilt by the
monks in a rose pink sandstone as early as
1100, is one of the most impressive of
Somersets parish churches. The church tower
was added in the 15th century but its most
outstanding feature is undoubtedly the fan-
vaulted rood screen that extends across the
nave and aisles. At 54 feet it is the longest in
England and was built in 1498 after a squabble
between the priory and the townspeople. The
magnificent screen served to separate the
monks choir from the parish church.
Dunster Watermill
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On the southern edge of the village, the
ancient Gallox Bridge, a medieval packhorse
bridge, spans the River Avill.
CARHAMPTON
F Madam Carne
A small inland village that was the site of a
Viking victory in the 9th century.
Carhamptons original village church was
named after St Carantoc, an early Celtic
missionary from across the Bristol Channel.
He is reputed to have chosen this site for his
ministry by throwing his stone altar overboard
and following it to shore. The present church
building, though much restored, contains a
remarkable 15th-century painted screen that
extends across the entire church. The old inn,
near the churchyard lych gate, has the date
1638 set into its cobbled floor in sheeps
knuckle bones.
Each January, the residents of Carhampton
re-enact the ancient custom of wassailing the
apple trees. A toast is made to the most
productive apple tree in the district and cider
is poured on to its trunk in a charming
ceremony that probably has pagan origins.
Local folklore tells of a mysterious woman
from the village, Madam Carne, who died in
1612 having done away with three husbands.
According to legend, her ghost returned
home after her funeral to prepare breakfast
for the mourners.
WASHFORD
A Cleeve Abbey E Tropiquaria
B Radio Museum
This village is spread out across Vallis Florida,
the flowery valley dedicated to Our Blessed
Lady of the Cliff. Washford is dominated by
Cleeve Abbey (see panel below), the only
monastery in Somerset that belonged to the
austere Cistercian order founded in 1198 by
Cleeve Abbey
Washford, Somerset TA23 0PS
Tel: 01984 640377
website: www.english-heritage.org.uk
On 25th June 1198 the new Abbey of Cleeve
was founded, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin
and originally named Vallis Florida or Vale of
Flowers. Since then the Black Death, the
dissolution of the monasteries, destruction of
the Abbey Church and use as a farmhouse, have
all played a part in the 800 year history of
Cleeve Abbey. Today, it survives as a haven of peace and tranquillity, one of the
undiscovered jewels of Somerset boasting magnificent architecture and hidden treasures.
Some of the finest cloister buildings in England can be seen including the magnificent
15th century timber roof in the refectory with its exquisite carved angels, the unique
medieval wall paintings of the Painted Chamber and the heraldic tile pavements. One of the
greatest pleasures however is to explore the numerous nooks and crannies, which reveal
hidden carvings and paintings, from the hands of craftsmen long ago.
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the Earl of Lincoln. This abbey is fortunate in
that it was not allowed to fall into disrepair
after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in
1539 like many great monastic houses. The
cloister buildings at Cleeve were put to
domestic use and they are now among the
most complete in the country. Although the
cruciform abbey church has been reduced to
its foundations, the refectory, chapter house,
monks common room, dormitory and
cloisters remain. Most impressive of all is the
great hall, a magnificent building with tall
windows, a wagon roof decorated with busts
of crowned angels and medieval murals, and a
unique set of floor tiles with heraldic symbols.
The curved dormitory staircase has
particularly fine archways and mullion
windows, while the combined gatehouse and
almonry, the last building to be constructed
before the Dissolution, makes an imposing
entrance to the abbey precinct.
A short distance northeast of the village is a
more recent attraction, Tropiquaria, a wildlife
park featuring a wide range of tropical
animals. There is an aquarium here as well as
an aviary and visitors are offered the chance to
stroke snakes, tickle tarantulas and to get in
touch with their wilder side. Children can
swarm over the full-size pirate ships or work
off some energy in the indoor play castle;
grown-ups may be more interested in the
Radio Museum, which is housed within an
old radio transmitting station. There are
hundreds of vintage radios to look at as well
as a wealth of other radio memorabilia
WATCHET
7 miles SE of Minehead on the B3191
F Florence Wyndham
Once a busy industrial port, Watchet is now a
thriving marina for yachts and boats. It was
from Watchet that Coleridges imaginary crew
set sail in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the
epic poem written while the poet was staying at
nearby Nether Stowey. A statue of the Ancient
Mariner himself stands on the promenade.
The scale of Watchets parish church
reflects the towns long-standing importance
and prosperity. It is set well back from the
town centre and contains several fine tombs
belonging to the Wyndham family, the local
lords of the manor who did much to develop
the potential of the port. There is a local story
that suggests that one 16th century member
of the family, Florence Wyndham, had to be
buried twice. The day after her first funeral the
church sexton went down into church vaults
secretly to remove a ring from her finger.
When the coffin was opened, the old woman
suddenly awoke. In recent years, the town has
become something of a coastal resort and one
of its attractions is the small museum
dedicated to local maritime history.
WILLITON
7 miles SE of Minehead on the A39/A358
B Bakelite Museum
The large village of Williton was once a
Saxon royal estate. During the 12th century
Watchet Harbour
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the manor was the home of Sir Reginald
FitzUrse, one of the knights who murdered
Thomas Becket. To atone for his terrible
crime, Sir Reginald gave half the manor to
the Knights Templar.
The village today is the home of the diesel
locomotive workshops of the West Somerset
Railway and the Bakelite Museum, a
fascinating place providing a nostalgic look at
the pioneer of plastics. Housed within an
historic watermill, the museum displays the
largest collection of vintage plastics in Britain,
with thousands of quirky and rare items,
including spy cameras, monstrous perming
machines and even a Bakelite coffin.
MONKSILVER
8 miles SE of Minehead on the B3188
A Combe Sydenham Hall F Drakes Cannonball
A Nettlecombe Court D Brendon Hills
This pretty village of charming old houses and
thatched cottages has, in its churchyard, the
graves of Elizabeth Conibeer and her two
middle-aged daughters, Anne and Sarah, who
were murdered in June 1775 in the nearby
hamlet of Woodford. Their tombstone bears a
message to the unidentified murderer:
Inhuman wretch, whoeer thou art
That didst commit this horrid crime,
Repent before thou dost depart
To meet thy awful Judge Divine.
Just to the south of the village is a
particularly handsome manor house,
Combe Sydenham Hall, built in the
middle of the reign of Elizabeth I by
George Sydenham on the site of a
monastic settlement. Above the entrance,
there is a Latin inscription that translates
as; This door of Georges is always open
except to ungrateful souls. This was also
the home of Elizabeth Sydenham, Georges
daughter, who was to become the second
wife of Sir Francis Drake. After becoming
engaged, Sir Francis left his fiance to go off
looting for Spanish gold. Elizabeth grew so
weary waiting for her betrothed to return that
she resolved to marry another gentleman.
According to local stories, she was on her
way to the church, when a meteorite flew out
of the sky and smashed into the ground in
front of her. Taking this as a sign that she
should wait for Sir Francis she called off the
wedding and, eventually, the couple were
reunited. The meteorite, now known as
Drakes Cannonball, is on display in the
great hall; it is said to bring good luck to
those who touch it. The 500-acre grounds
around the hall have been designated a
country park and they contain a working corn
mill complete with waterwheel, a herb
garden, a peacock house and a herd of fallow
deer. The estate also incorporates a modern
trout farm that stands on the site of a fully
restored Tudor trout hatchery dating from
the end of the 16th century.
A mile or so to the west stands another
ancient manor, Nettlecombe Court, once the
home of the Raleigh family, relations of
another great Elizabethan seafarer, Sir Walter
Combe Sydenham, Monksilver
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village of Holford, in the Quantocks, and a
track from here leads up to the large Iron Age
hill fortification known as Dowsborough Fort.
Close by are also the dramatic viewpoints
Beacon Hill and Bicknoller Hill. On the latter
is another Iron Age relic, a livestock enclosure
known as Trendle Ring. This is one of many
archaeological sites in this area, which lies
within the Quantock Hills Site of Special
Scientific Interest.
Taunton
A Taunton Castle B Somerset County Museum
B Somerset Military Museum H Bath Place
B Somerset County Cricket Museum
I Vivary Park I Taunton Racecourse
A St Mary Magdalene Church
J Bridgwater & Taunton Canal
Despite a settlement being founded here by
the Saxon King Ine in the 8th century,
Taunton, the county town of Somerset, has
only been its sole centre of administration
since 1935. Before that date, both Ilchester
and Somerton had served as the county town.
By Norman times the Saxon settlement had
grown to have its own Augustinian monastery,
Raleigh. Later, the manor passed by marriage to
the Cornish Trevelyan family and it is now a
field studies centre open only by appointment.
To the southwest of the village are the
Brendon Hills, the upland area within the
Exmoor National Park from where, in the mid
19th century, iron ore was mined in significant
quantities. The ore was then carried down a
steep mineral railway to the coast for shipment
to the furnaces of South Wales. At one time
the Ebbw Vale Company employed almost
1000 miners here. The company was a strictly
Nonconformist concern and imposed a
rigorous teetotal regime on its workers. Those
wanting a drink had to walk across the moor
all the way to Raleighs Cross. The company
also founded a miners settlement with a
temperance hotel and three chapels that
became renowned for the achievements of its
choir and fife and drum band. Those walking
the slopes of the hills can still see sections of
the old mineral railway. A two-mile stretch of
the track bed leading down to the coast at
Watchet is now a pleasant footpath.
EAST QUANTOXHEAD
11 miles SE of Minehead off the A39
C Trendle Ring D Beacon Hill
From the village there is a pleasant walk
to the southeast, to Kilve, where the
ruins of a medieval chantry, or college of
priests, can be found. From here a track
can be taken from the churchyard down
to a boulder-strewn beach reputed to be a
favourite haunt of glats conger eels up
to 10 feet long that lie in wait among the
rocks near the shore. Once known as St
Keynas serpents, local people used to
search for them using trained fish dogs.
Further to the southeast lies the
Taunton Castle
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a minster and a Castle an extensive
structure whose purpose had always been
more as an administrative centre than as a
military post. However, this did not prevent
the castle from being the focus of two
important sieges during the English Civil War.
A few years later, the infamous Judge Jeffreys
sentenced more than 150 followers of the
Duke of Monmouth to death here during the
Bloody Autumn Assizes. Even today, the
judges ghost is said to haunt the castle
grounds on September nights.
The castle houses the Somerset County
Museum, which is currently closed for
refurbishment and is scheduled to re-open in
2011 as the Museum of Somerset. It contains
the Somerset Military Museum, which is
also closed, but some charming medieval
almshouses can still be found at the castle
site. Another of the towns old buildings is
still making itself useful today. Somersets
County Cricket Ground occupies part of the
priory grounds that once extended down to
the river. A section of the old monastic
gatehouse, known as the Old Priory Barn,
can still be seen beside the cricket ground.
Now restored, this medieval stone building is
home to the fascinating Somerset County
Cricket Museum.
Soaring above the town is the exquisite
163 foot high tower of St Mary Magdalene
Church. A church has occupied this site since
at least the 12th century but the present tower
was rebuilt to its original design in 1862. In
order to raise the stone during this
construction, a pulley system was used,
operated by a donkey walking down Hammet
Street. When the work was completed, the
builders hauled the donkey to the top of the
tower so that it could admire the view it had
OLIVE TREE DELICATESSEN AND
COFFEE SHOP
10-10A The Bridge, Taunton, Somerset TA1 1UG
Tel: 01823 353707
email: enquiries@theolivetreetaunton.co.uk
website: www.theolivetreetaunton.co.uk
If you can make it past the temptations of the delicatessen,
the Olive Tree also has a licensed Coffee Shop upstairs. Its
an intimate place where diners know they will need to arrive
early or reserve a table. The breakfast dishes are available all-
day and include hot bacon baguettes, a breakfast panini, or
simply a few slices of hot thick toast. Just as appealing are
the luxury cream teas, including the Olive Trees home-made
scones with strawberry jam and lots of clotted cream. Hot
dishes include soup-of-the-day, jacket potatoes, a choice of
home-made quiche, pasta dishes and that traditional British
dish, homity pie.
The Olive Tree also prides itself on its impressive
collection of cheeses from around the world which include
the local Somerset Brie and the infamous Stinking Bishop. In
the Deli you can buy many of these items and much more,
such as speciality tea and coffee, olives, local jam and honey.
There is also a selection of Somerset cider, wine and liqueurs.
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ALPHA
EXCLUSIVE FASHIONS
FOR MEN AND WOMEN
2 The Courtyard, St James Street,
Taunton, Somerset TA1 1JR
Tel: 01823 324488
Alpha is located in a small complex of shops
called The Courtyard near to the County cricket
ground. For more than 10 years this family run
boutique has catered for the fashion conscious
citizens of Taunton and the surrounding area with
an impressive collection of clothes and
accessories to suit all. Many of the brands are
exclusive to Alpha in Taunton.
Brands for men include Gant, Hackett, Polo
Ralph Lauren and Barbour. Brands for women
include Barbour, Stills, 120% Lino, James Jeans,
Avoca, and Karen Cole. Among the many
accessories are belts and buckles by Hamilton
Davies and Butterfly Blue, handbags by Drift,
Blondie Mania, scarves by Glen Prince and
jewellery by About Face and Tutti & Co.
FINE FABRICS
Magdalene Lane, Taunton, Somerset TA1 1SE
Tel: 01823 270986
website: www.finefabricstaunton.co.uk
Located in central Taunton, Fine Fabrics have been
suppliers of high quality fabrics for 27 years. With
an extensive range of dress patterns, including those
from Vogue and many beautiful fabrics to choose
from, you can find all you need to accomplish that
special and individual bridal gown or evening dress.
As a haberdashery, you can find everything you
need to make your outfit and a wide selection of
accessories are also available to complete your look.
Fine fabrics are stockists of many hobby craft
materials including cross-stitch, embroidery and
tapestry materials together with wool and knitting
accessories. They are also suppliers of daylight and
needlework lamps to aid you in your chosen past-
time. There are many furnishing fabrics in stock and a
variety of curtain accessories to meet you home
furnishing requirements.
Fine fabrics offer private appointments to give
customers professional advice with each stage of the dress making process, from choosing the
patterns and selecting the fabrics, to the finished product.
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helped to create. The main body of the church
is medieval and its interior distinguished by a
host of carved saints, apostles and gilded
angels floating above the congregation. The
road leading to the church, Hammet Street,
retains an impressive number of original
Georgian houses.
Ardent shoppers will want to seek out Bath
Place, a delightful narrow street of cottages
mixed with an assortment of individual shops
offering a huge range of goods and services. In
medieval times, when this street was owned by
the Bishop of Winchester, it was called Swains
Street and was well known for its brothels, one
of the few services not on offer here today. But
you can have your hair done, your body pierced,
lunch or dine in a choice of restaurants, and
shop for arts and crafts, jewellery, glassware,
books, computer games and much more.
Like many other West Country towns and
villages, Taunton was a thriving wool, and later
silk, cloth-making centre during the Middle
Ages. The profits earned by the medieval
clothiers went into buildings. Here their wealth
was used in the construction of two huge
churches: St James and St Marys. The rest of
the town centre is scattered with fine buildings
including the timber-framed Tudor House in
Fore Street. Taunton is still a thriving place with
an important commercial centre, a weekly
market and a busy light industrial sector that
benefits from some excellent transport links
with the rest of the country.
Today, the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal
towpath has been reopened following an
extensive restoration programme and it
provides pleasant waterside walks along its 14
miles. A relative latecomer, the canal first
opened in 1827 and was designed to be
part of an ambitious scheme to create a
freight route between Exeter and Bristol
to avoid the treacherous sea journey
around the Cornwall peninsula. For many
years, the canal was the principal means of
importing coal and iron from South Wales
to the inland towns of Somerset, and of
exporting their wool and agricultural
produce to the rest of Britain.
Tauntons major open space is the
extensive Vivary Park, located at the
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal
The Orchard, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3TP
Tel 01823 334400
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southern end of the High Street and
approached through a magnificent pair of
Victorian ornamental gates. Fully restored
with lottery money in 2002, the 70-acre park
is home to the Vivary Golf Course, the
Taunton Bowling Club and Taunton Deane
Cricket Club. Other features include tennis
courts, a wildlife lake, a model boat pond, a
bandstand, an ornate fountain
commemorating Queen Victoria, a model
train track and childrens play areas.
Tauntons attractive National Hunt
Racecourse lies on the opposite side of the
motorway from the town and the combination
of good facilities, excellent racing and glorious
location make it one of the best country
racecourses in Britain.
Around Taunton
CHEDDON FITZPAINE
3 miles N of Taunton off the A358
E Hestercombe Gardens
Spreading across the south-facing lower slopes
of the Quantock Hills, the gorgeous
Hestercombe Gardens (see panel below)
form part of an estate that has been in
existence since Saxon times. In 1872, the estate
was acquired by the 1st Viscount Portman and
it was his grandson, the Hon Edward
Portman, who commissioned Sir Edwin
Lutyens to create a new formal garden that
was planted by Gertrude Jekyll between 1904
and 1908. Within the 40-acre site are temples,
streams and lakes, formal terraces, woodlands,
cascades and some glorious views. Of all the
gardens designed by the legendary partnership
of Lutyens and Jekyll, Hestercombe is
regarded as the best preserved.
STOKE ST GREGORY
7 miles NE of Taunton off the A378
E Willows & Wetlands Visitor Centre
A straggling village in the heart of the
Somerset Levels, Stoke St Gregory provides an
appropriate location for the Willows and
Wetlands Visitor Centre, established by the
Coates family, which has more than 170 years
Hestercombe Gardens
Cheddon Fitzpaine, near Taunton,
Somerset TA2 8LG
Tel: 01823 413923 Fax: 01823 413747
e-mail: info@hestercombegardens.com
website: www.hestercombegardens.com
Lying on the southern slopes of the Quantocks,
Hestercombe Gardens can be found on an
estate that dates back to Saxon times but, from
the 14th to the late 19th century it was
continuously owned by one family, the Warres.
It was Coplestone Warre Bampfylde who
designed and laid out the magnificent landscaped garden in the mid 18th century. In 1873,
the estate was acquired by the 1st Viscount Portman and it was his grandson, the Hon
Edward Portman who, in 1904, commissioned sir Edwin Lutyens to create a new formal
garden that was planted by Gertrude Jekyll.
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experience in the willow industry. Their 80
acres of willow provide the natural material
for craftsmen to weave a wide variety of
baskets, furniture and garden items for sale.
Guided tours are available.
BURROW BRIDGE
9 miles NE of Taunton on the A361
H Somerset Levels Basket & Craft Centre
D Burrow Mump A Maunsel House
This village, on the River Parrett, is home to
one of several pumping stations built in
Victorian times to drain the Somerset Levels.
The Pumping Station is open to the public
occasionally throughout the year. Burrow
Bridge is also the home of the Somerset
Levels Basket and Craft Centre, a
workshop and showroom stocked with
handmade basket ware.
Rising dramatically from the surrounding
wetlands is the conspicuous conical hill,
Burrow Mump (National Trust). Situated at a
fording point on the River Parrett, this knoll
has at its summit the picturesque remains of
an unfinished chapel to St Michael begun in
1793, but for which funds ran out before its
completion. Burrow Mump is located in the
heart of the low-lying area known as Kings
Sedge Moor, an attractive part of the
Somerset Levels drained by the Rivers Cary
and Parrett. A rich area of wetland, the moor
is known for its characteristic pollarded
willows, whose straight shoots, or withies, have
been cultivated on a substantial scale ever
since the taste for wicker developed during the
19th century. The traditional craft of basket-
weaving is one of Somersets oldest
commercial activities and it once employed
thousands of people. Although the industry
has been scaled down over the past 150 years,
it is still alive and currently enjoying something
of a revival.
The isolated Burrow Mump is reputed to be
the site of an ancient fortification belonging
to King Alfred, King of Wessex. He is said to
have retreated here to escape from invading
Vikings. It was during this time that he is
rumoured to have sought shelter in a hut in
the nearby village of Athelney. While sitting at
the peasants hearth, absorbed in his own
thoughts, legend has it he allowed the cakes
that the housewife had been baking to burn.
Not recognising the king, the peasant boxed
his ears for ruining all her hard work. In the
19th century, a stone was placed on the site
recalling that in gratitude for his hospitality,
King Alfred founded a monastery on the Isle
of Athelney.
Just to the west of Burrow Bridge, the
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal winds its way
through some of the most attractive
countryside in the Somerset Levels. The
restored locks, swing bridges, engine houses
and rare paddle gearing equipment add further
interest to this picturesque walk. The canal
also offers a variety of recreational facilities
including boating, fishing and canoeing, while
the canal banks are alive with both bird and
animal life. At the canals southern end, boats
have access to the River Tone via Firepool
Burrow Mump
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Lock in the heart of Taunton.
North Newton, one of the pretty villages
along the canal, is home to the magnificent
country manor of Maunsel House, which
dates back to the 13th century. The house is
set in 100 acres of stunning parkland at the
heart of a sprawling 2000-acre estate,
comprising farms, lakes, woodlands, walnut
groves, orchards, Somerset wetlands, cottages
and ancient barns. The house can boast such
visitors as Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote part
of The Canterbury Tales whilst staying here.
Occasionally open to the public, the house is
always available for functions such as
weddings and conferences.
HATCH BEAUCHAMP
5 miles SE of Taunton on the A358
Hatch Beauchamp is a pleasant village that has
managed to retain much of its rural
atmosphere despite being on the major route
between Ilminster and Taunton. Its name
originates from Hache, a Saxon word meaning
gateway, which refers to the ancient forest of
Neroche whose boundary was just to the
north and west. The Beauchamp element
comes from the Norman family who owned
the local manor and whose house stood on the
land now occupied by one of the finest
country houses in the area, Hatch Court,
which, sadly, is now closed to the public.
PITMINSTER
3 miles S of Taunton off the B3170
A Poundisford Park
Recorded as Pipeminster in the Domesday
Book, although there is no evidence of a
minster ever having been built here, the village
does have an old church containing
16th-century monuments to the Colles family.
Just to the north of Pitminster is
Poundisford Park, a small H-shaped Tudor
mansion standing within a delightful, wooded
deer park that once belonged to the bishops
of Winchester. The house is renowned for its
fine plasterwork ceilings and the grounds
incorporate a formal garden laid out in the
Tudor style.
BRADFORD-ON-TONE
4 miles SW of Taunton off the A38
B Sheppys Cider
Sheppys Cider has been making its
renowned ciders since the early 1800s and now
boasts more than 200 awards, including two
gold medals. Visitors can stroll through the
orchards with their wide variety of apples, visit
the museum for an insight into the farming of
the past, watch a video following the cider-
makers year, and sample the finished product
in the shop. Professional guided tours are
available for parties of 20 or more. Other
amenities on site include a licensed tearoom,
picnic area and childrens play area.
WELLINGTON
6 miles SW of Taunton on the A38
A Town Hall A Wellington Monument
This pleasant old market town was once an
important producer of woven cloth and serge
and it owes much of its prosperity to Quaker
entrepreneurs and, later, the Fox banking family.
Fox, Fowler and Co was the last private bank in
England to issue its own notes - they only
ceased in 1921 when they were taken over by
Lloyds. The broad streets around the town
centre are peppered with fine Georgian
buildings, including the neoclassical Town
Hall. At the eastern end of the town, the much
altered church contains the ostentatious tomb
of Sir John Popham, the judge who presided at
the trial of Guy Fawkes.
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To the south of the town rises the
Wellington Monument, a 175-foot obelisk
erected not long after the Duke of Wellingtons
great victory at Waterloo. The foundation stone
was laid in 1817 by Lord Somerville, but the
monument was only completed in 1854. The
duke himself visited the site and the town from
which he took his title only once, in 1819.
WIVELISCOMBE
9 miles W of Taunton on the B3227
A Gaulden Manor
This is an ancient market town where the
Romans once had a fort. A cache of 3rd and
4th-century coins has been uncovered in the
area. Later, in medieval times, the local manor
house was used as a summer residence of the
bishops of Bath and Wells. The remains,
including a striking 14th-century archway, have
now been incorporated into a group of
cottages. During World War Two, the churchs
crypt was used to store priceless historic
documents and ecclesiastical treasures brought
here from other parts of Somerset that were
more at risk from aerial attack.
Known to locals as Wivey, this thriving
local centre has numerous small shops, some
with their original Victorian frontages, and
several pubs that stock ales from the towns
two breweries.
To the northeast of Wiveliscombe, close to
the village of Tolland, is the delightful
Gaulden Manor (see panel below), an estate
that dates from the 12th century, although the
present house is largely 17th century. It is
currently not open to the public because of
family illness and no date has been set for its
re-opening. The house contains some
outstanding early plasterwork, fine furniture,
and many examples of embroidery by the
owners wife. The interesting gardens include a
herb garden, old-fashioned roses, a bog garden
and a secret garden beyond the monks fish
pond. Gaulden Manor once belonged to the
Turberville family whose name was adapted by
Thomas Hardy for use in his novel, Tess of the
DUrbervilles.
To the north and west of Wiveliscombe,
below the Brendon Hills, are two reservoirs,
Wimbleball and Clatworthy, which offer
Gaulden Manor Gardens and House
Tolland, nr Taunton, Somerset TA4 3PN
Tel: 01984 667213
Set in a beautiful valley between the Brendon and the
Quantock hills is the historic Gaulden Manor, a medieval
house parts of which are believed to date back to the
12th century. The house is famous for its plasterwork,
the date of which can be assessed by the coats of arms
on the overmantles and depict two families joined by
marriage in 1639. Parties can view the interior of the house by appointment.
The house is surrounded by a series of gardens that include the rose garden, a well-
stocked herb garden, a bog garden and a butterfly garden. Tucked away lies the Secret
Garden planted with white shrubs and roses whilst beyond is the Monks Fish Pond and
island and a grassy walk with old shrub roses and geraniums leading back to the house. Not
an overly neat garden, this is a place to explore with something new and different around
each corner. Plants propagated from the garden are for sale.
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excellent facilities for picnickers, anglers and
water sports enthusiasts.
NORTON FITZWARREN
2 miles NW of Taunton on the B3227
Large finds of Roman pottery have been
excavated in and around this village, helping to
confirm that Norton Fitzwarren was the
Roman settlement of Theodunum. The
villages name comes from the Saxon north
tun (meaning north farm) and the Norman
family who were given the manor here after
the Conquest. Norton Fitzwarrens antiquity
and former importance gave rise to the old
rhyme, When Taunton was a furzy down,
Norton was a market town. Today, although
the village has all but been consumed by its
much larger neighbour, it has still managed to
retain some of its individuality.
The land around Norton Fitzwarren is
damp and fertile and, for hundreds of years,
cider apples have been grown here. Cider
made here is now transported all over the
world, but until the early 19th century, cider
was a beverage very much confined to
Somerset and the West Country. It was the
Rev Thomas Cornish, a local clergyman, who
first brought cider to the attention of the rest
of the nation, when he produced a drink so
appetising that it found great favour with
Queen Victoria.
BISHOPS LYDEARD
5 miles NW of Taunton off the A358
I West Somerset Railway A St Marys Church
A Bishops Lydeard Mill
This large village is the southern terminus of
the West Somerset Railway, a nostalgic
enterprise that recaptures the era of the branch
line country railway in the days of steam. This
privately operated steam railway runs to
Minehead on the Bristol Channel coast and,
extending for nearly 20 miles, is the longest line
of its kind in the country. It was formed when
British Rails 100-year-old branch line between
Taunton and Minehead closed in 1971. There
are 10 stations along the line and services
operate between Easter and the end of
October. The railways special attractions
include a first-class Pullman dining car and the
Flockton Flyer locomotive, named after the 1970s
childrens drama series of that name, which
centred on the adventures of a family running a
preserved railway.
St Marys Church has a magnificent tower
built of local red stone around 1450.
Fortunately, it was spared any insensitive
Victorian restoration of the interior. Look out
for the hunky punks on the outside of the
tower. Hunky punk is the local term for the
carved creatures, which, unlike gargoyles that
carry off rainwater, serve no useful function.
St Marys has five hunky punks the one on
the southwest corner of a dragon with a stone
West Somerset Railway
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area between King Street and West Quay
provide some of the best examples of domestic
Georgian architecture in the county.
Bridgwaters most famous son is the
celebrated military leader, Robert Blake, who
was born here in 1598. When in his 40s, Blake
became an important officer in Cromwells
army and twice defended Taunton against
overwhelming Royalist odds. Just a decade later,
he was appointed General at Sea and went on
to win a number of important battles against
the Dutch and the Spanish. In so doing, he
restored the nations naval supremacy in
Europe. The house in which he was born is
now home to the Blake Museum, which
contains a three-dimensional model of the
Battle of Santa Cruz, one of Blakes most
famous victories, along with a collection of his
personal effects. Blake was not the only military
leader connected with Bridgwater. During the
late 1600s, the Duke of Monmouth stayed here
before his disastrous defeat at the nearby Battle
of Sedgemoor. The museum suitably illustrates
this decisive battle in the dukes quest for the
English throne. Recently upgraded and re-
opened in March 2010, this is also a museum
of local history with a large collection of
locally discovered artefacts on display that
in its mouth looks particularly
menacing.
The Grade II listed Bishops
Lydeard Mill has been painstakingly
restored over many years by the Back
family and is now fully working.
Among the many traditional trades
and crafts displayed here are a
wheelwrights shop, transported from
Devon and preserved exactly as it
was left on the day the owner shut up
shop, and an equally authentic
blacksmiths shop. Other attractions
include fun interactive displays, a gift
shop and Dusty Millers tearoom.
Bridgwater
B Blake Museum
B Somerset Brick & Tile Museum
I Carnival I Somerset Space Walk
Situated at the lowest bridging point of the
River Parrett, Bridgwater is an ancient inland
port and industrial town. Despite having been
fortified since before the Norman Conquest,
the settlement that grew up around the castle
remained little more than a village until an
international trade in wool, wheat and other
agricultural products began to develop in the
late Middle Ages. Bridgwater grew and, at one
time, was the most important town on the coast
between Bristol and Barnstaple. For a short
period, it was the fifth busiest port in the
country. The largely 14th-century parish church,
with its disproportionately large spire, is the
only building to remain from that prosperous
medieval era. The castle was dismantled after
the English Civil War and the 13th-century
Franciscan friary and St Johns Hospital
disappeared long ago. Although the street
layout here is still medieval, the buildings in the
Admiral Blake Statue
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date from Neolithic times right up to World
War Two.
The highlight of Bridgwaters events
calendar is its Carnival commemorating Guy
Fawkes Day. Believed to be the largest such
event in the world, the celebration involves
hundreds of themed carts, each ablaze with
as many as 25,000 light bulbs, which join a
procession more than two miles long,
accompanied by various town bands.
Following the procession, squibs, or giant
fireworks, are carried through the town and set
alight in the High Street.
An attractive amenity of the town is the
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal which was
completed in 1827 and can still be explored on
water by canoe, trail boat or narrow boat, or
along the towpath on foot or by cycle. Before
the construction of a canal dock, the ships
arriving at Bridgwater used to tie up on both
sides of the river below the towns medieval
bridge. Here, too, can be seen the last remnant
of the medieval castle, The Water Gate, on
West Quay.
The arrival of the canal gave a great boost
to local industries. The manufacture of
Bridgwater glass, which had begun the
previous century, expanded greatly. The river
mud that caused the decline of the towns port
also proved to have hidden benefits, because
when baked in oblong blocks it was found to
be an excellent scourer. As Bath Brick, it was
used for nearly a century to clean grates and
stone steps. The canal terminus, where the
brickworks also stood, was finally closed in
1970, but has now been restored as a
fascinating area of industrial archaeology.
More of the countys industrial heritage can
be explored at the Somerset Brick & Tile
Museum on East Quay. The last surviving
kiln at the former Barham Brothers yard is a
poignant reminder of the brick and tile
industry that was once so important in the
county. The kiln has been repaired by
Somerset County Council and now provides
the centrepiece of the museum.
An interesting feature on the canal is based
at Lower Mounsel Locks, about five miles
south of Bridgwater. The Somerset Space
Walk uses the 13-mile length of the canal to
represent the solar system with scale models
of each of the planets. The sun is placed at
the locks with the inner planets nearby; Pluto
can be found on the outskirts of Taunton.
Around Bridgwater
HIGHBRIDGE
6 miles N of Bridgwater on the A38
E Alstone Wildlife Park
The small coastal town of Highbridge was
once a busy port on the Glastonbury Canal.
Today its main visitor attraction is Alstone
Wildlife Park, a small non-profit making,
family-run park, which devotes all its proceeds
to the welfare and upkeep of the animals.
Open daily from Easter to November, the
park is home to a variety of animals including
Theadore the camel, a herd of red deer,
wallabies, owls, pigs, emus and ponies.
BURNHAM-ON-SEA
7 miles N of Bridgwater on the B3140
A St Andrews Church A Low Lighthouse
D Brent Knoll
A traditional seaside resort as well as a thriving
market town, Burnham-on-Sea has acres of
sandy beach, a fine Edwardian Esplanade, a
Pier Pavilion and a 15th-century church that
was built close by the shore. This turned out
to be a not very good idea. Because of the
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gardens of Burnham Hall. An attempt was
made to turn Burnham into a spa town to rival
Cheltenham and Bath. A series of buildings
was erected around the springs, the most
notable of them being the Bath House, now
Steart House, on the Esplanade.
Unfortunately, the waters were too sulphurous
and stinking for most convalescents to endure
and the venture fizzled out. The town would
have to depend on its wide sandy beach to
attract visitors.
A distinctive feature on the beach is the
unique nine-legged Low Lighthouse, a
curious square structure raised above the
beach on tall stilts. An earlier lighthouse, the
High Lighthouse, erected in 1750, still stands
inland behind the dunes, but because of the
huge rise and fall of tides in the Severn
estuary, its light was ineffective at low tides.
sandy foundations, the 80 foot tower of St
Andrews Church now leans three feet from
the vertical. But the structure is apparently
quite stable and has not shifted for many
decades. Inside are parts of a massive
altarpiece designed by Inigo Jones and carved
by Grinling Gibbons. Originally installed in
James IIs Whitehall Palace, it survived the
great fire that destroyed the palace and was re-
installed in Westminster Abbey. But when the
abbey was being prepared for the coronation
of George IV the huge structure was deemed
out of place and surplus to requirements.
Somehow, the vicar of Burnham learned of its
impending fate and managed to acquire it for
his country church. The parts are now
dispersed over various parts of the chancel.
In the early 1800s, the local curate, the Rev
Davies, discovered mineral springs in the
SEA BREEZE
37 Victoria Street,
Burnham-on-Sea,
Somerset TA8 1AN
Tel: 01278 783276
e-mail: seabreezegal
@btinternet.com
A breath of fresh air in the beautiful town of Burnham-on-Sea! Sea Breeze, which is one minute
from the lovely beach, has changed the face of local arts and crafts since its opening several years
ago. Eighty percent of the stock in the shop is sourced from local artists, craftsmen, jewellers, and
designers, and the gallery upstairs hosts regular exhibitions of the very best in local art. The staff
here are really friendly and knowledgeable, and are always happy to talk about the artists who
created the gorgeous pieces on display.
The fascinating stock includes beautiful photos of the local area and dramatic coastline, digital
art, and paintings in watercolour, oils, pastels and acrylics. As well as this the shop is full of lovely
hand-crafted gifts, such as jewellery, handmade soaps, ceramics and glass; all attractive and well
made. Some beautiful pieces for the home and garden, and fair-trade fashions, complete Sea
Breezes fun and unique look.
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the scrubland is an important habitat for
migrating birds such as redstart, redpoll and
reed bunting; rare plants take root in the
shallow and exposed soil; and the south-facing
slopes are home to a variety of butterflies.
Subject to one of the widest tidal ranges in
Europe, the currents around the headland can
be dramatic and very dangerous.
About a mile inland from Brean Sands
beach, at Berrow, Animal Farm Adventure
Park promises fun for all the family with a
mix of domestic and rarer animals, including
llamas, alpacas and emus; adventure play areas,
ride-on tractors and a miniature railway.
WESTONZOYLAND
3 miles SE of Bridgwater on the A372
C Battle of Sedgemoor A Pumping Station
Just to the northwest of the village, and on
the southern bank of what is now the Kings
Sedgemoor Drain, is the site of the last battle
to be fought on English soil. In July 1685,
the well-equipped forces of James II heavily
defeated the followers of the Duke of
Monmouth in the bloody Battle of
Sedgemoor. This brought an end to the ill-
fated Pitchfork Rebellion that aimed to
replace the Catholic King James with the
Protestant Duke of Monmouth, an
illegitimate son of Charles II. Around 700 of
Monmouths followers were killed on the
battlefield, while several hundred survivors
were rounded up and taken to Westonzoyland
churchyard, where many of them were
hanged. The duke himself was taken to
London where, 10 days after the battle, he
was executed on Tower Hill. However, it was
during the infamous Judge Jeffreys Bloody
Assizes that the greatest terror was inflicted
on the surviving followers of the duke when
well over 300 men were condemned to death.
Hence the need for the Low Lighthouse.
To the northeast of Burnham rises Brent
Knoll, a conspicuous landmark that can be
seen from as far away as South Wales. Before
the Somerset Levels were drained, this isolated
hill would almost certainly have been an island.
As with many other natural features that
appear out of place in the landscape, there are
several stories that suggest that the knoll owes
its existence to the Devil. The 445-foot
summit is crowned with the remains of an
Iron Age hill fort. The summit, which can be
reached by footpaths beginning near the
churches at East Brent and Brent Knoll,
offers walkers a spectacular view out over the
Bristol Channel, the Mendips and the
Somerset Levels.
BREAN
11 miles N of Bridgwater off the A370
E Animal Farm Adventure Park D Steep Holm
This elongated, mainly modern resort village is
sheltered, to the north, by the 320 feet-high
Brean Down (National Trust), an imposing
remnant of the Mendip hills that projects out
into the Bristol Channel. Another fragment
can be seen in the form of the offshore island,
Steep Holm. A site of settlement, ritual and
defence for thousands of years, the remains of
an Iron Age coastal fort and a Roman temple
have both been found on Brean Down along
with some medieval pillow mounds. The tip
of the promontory is dominated by the
Palmerston fort of 1867, built as part of the
defences to protect the Bristol Channel. There
are also some 20th-century gun emplacements.
As well as its archaeological and geological
interest, this peninsula has been designated a
Site of Special Scientific Interest because of
its varied habitats. Oystercatcher and dunlin
can be seen along the foreshore and estuary;
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CLAVELSHAY BARN RESTAURANT
Lower Clavelshay Farm, North Petherton, nr Bridgewater, Somerset TA6 6PJ
Tel: 01278 662629
e-mail: query@clavelshaybarn.co.uk
website: www.clavelshaybarn.co.uk
Clavelshay Barn Restaurant nestles in an
idyllic valley on the edge of the
Quantock Hills within an area of
outstanding natural beauty. It is set in
the heart of a family-owned dairy farm
and is in easy reach of Taunton,
Bridgwater, and the M5.
Sympathetically converted from a
beamed 17th Century Somerset Barn,
the restaurant offers a monthly-changing
menu, showcasing the very best in local
seasonal produce. Where possible, free-
range ingredients are sourced from the
farm itself: fresh herbs and vegetables
from our walled garden; eggs from our
own Clavelshay hens; smoked meats
and fish from our onsite smokery; pigeon
and rabbit from the farm and fresh water
from nearby springs.
Clavelshay Barn Restaurant is a
flexible venue: generously proportioned,
it stretches over two floors and offers al
fresco dining on its picturesque patio. It
is an ideal space for intimate dining;
anniversaries; birthdays; Christmas
parties; corporate events and weddings
and has ample grounds for marquees both large and small.
Not only does Clavelshay Barn Restaurant offer the cream of local Somerset ingredients but
also prides itself on the excellence of its friendly, professional service
So set your sat. nav. to TA6 6PJ and discover a hidden gem of a place off the beaten
track but well worth finding . Its worth a trip to Somerset to dine at Clavelshay Barn on the
edge of the Quantock Hills, Country Living - August 2010
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A further 600 were transported to the
colonies. Today, a stark memorial marks the
site of the lonely battlefield.
The village lies in the Somerset Levels and a
steam-powered Pumping Station was built
here in the 19th century to drain the water
from the levels into the River Parrett. The
oldest pumping station of its kind in the area,
the engine on show here was in operation
from 1861 until 1952. Now fully restored, it
can be seen in steam at various times
throughout the year. The station itself is a
Grade II listed building. Also on the site is a
small forge, a tramway and a number of other
exhibits from the steam age.
ENMORE
4 miles SW of Bridgwater off the A39
D Quantock Hills A Fyne Court F Andrew Cross
To the west of Enmore the ground rises up
into the Quantock Hills, an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty that runs from
near Taunton to the Bristol Channel at
Quantoxhead. Rising to a high point of 1260
feet at Wills Neck, this delightful area of open
heath and scattered woodland supports one of
the countrys last remaining herds of wild red
deer. The exposed hilltops are littered with
Neolithic and Bronze Age
remains, including around
100 burial mounds, many of
which now resemble nothing
more than a pile of stones.
The richer soil in the south
sustains arable farms and
pockets of dense woodland,
and this varied landscape
offers some magnificent
walking with splendid views
over the Bristol Channel, the
Vale of Taunton Deane, the
Brendon Hills and Exmoor.
It was this glorious classical English landscape
that the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge so
admired while they were living in the area.
Southwest of Enmore in one of the
loveliest areas of the southern Quantocks is
Fyne Court (National Trust), which houses
both the headquarters of the Somerset
Wildlife Trust and a visitor centre for the
Quantocks. The main house here was built in
the 17th century by the Crosse family. It was
largely destroyed by fire in the 1890s and the
only surviving parts are the library and music
room that have been converted into the visitor
centre. The grounds, which incorporate a
walled garden, two ponds, an arboretum and a
lake, have been designated a nature reserve.
Quantock Hills
Fyne Court
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The most renowned occupant of the house
was Andrew Cross, an early 19th-century
scientist who was a pioneer in the field of
electrical energy. Known locally as the
thunder and lightning man, one of Crosses
lightning conductors can still be seen on an
oak tree in the grounds. Local stories tell
how, during one of his electrical
experiments, Crosse created tiny live insects.
It was this claim that helped to inspire Mary
Shelley to write her Gothic horror story,
Frankenstein, in 1818.
NETHER STOWEY
10 miles W of Bridgwater off the A39
A Stowey Court A Coleridge Cottage
J Quantock Forest Trail
G Samuel Taylor Coleridge
This attractive village of 17th and 18th-
century stone cottages and houses is best
known for its literary connections, but Nether
Stowey has a much longer history. At one
time, it was a small market town. A castle was
built here in Norman times and the earthwork
remains can be seen to the west of the village
centre, while its substantial manor house,
Stowey Court, stands on the eastern side of
the village. The construction of the manor
house was begun by Lord Audley in 1497
shortly before he joined a protest against
Henry VIIs taxation policy. Sadly, he was not
able to see the project through to completion
as he was executed soon afterwards.
In 1797, a local tanner, Tom Poole, lent a
dilapidated cottage at the end of his garden to
his friend, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who
stayed here for three years with his wife and
child. So began Nether Stoweys association
with poets and writers. It was here that
Coleridge wrote most of his famous works,
including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and
the opium-inspired Kubla Khan. When not
writing, he would go on long walks with his
friend and near neighbour William
Wordsworth, who had moved close to Nether
Stowey from a house in Dorset at around the
same time. Other visitors to the cottage
included Charles Lamb. But it was not long
before Coleridges opium addiction and his
rocky marriage began to take their toll. These
were not the only problems for the poet as
local suspicion was growing that he and
Wordsworth were French spies. The home in
which the Coleridges lived for three years is
now Coleridge Cottage, a National Trust
property where mementoes of the poet are
on display.
A lane leads southwest from the village to
the nearby village of Over Stowey and the
starting point of the Forestry Commissions
Quantock Forest Trail, a three-mile walk
lined with specially planted native and
imported trees.
Ilminster
A Dillington House
One of Somersets most beguiling towns,
Ilminster is perched on the side of a hill with
its main street running round, rather than up
and down the slope. For centuries, it stood on
the main London to Exeter route; today the
A303 bypasses the town allowing its special
charm to be enjoyed in comparative peace.
During the Middle Ages, it expanded
further into a thriving wool and lace-making
town. This period of prosperity is reflected in
the towns unusually large parish church,
whose massive multi-pinnacled tower is
modelled on that of Wells Cathedral. Any
walk around the old part of Ilminster will
reveal a number of delightful old buildings,
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many constructed in golden Hamstone,
including the chantry house, the old grammar
school and a colonnaded market house.
Another, the George Inn, proudly displays a
sign proclaiming that it was the first hotel that
Queen Victoria stayed at, as Princess Victoria,
in 1819. The future queen was on her way
with her parents to Sidmouth in Devon.
On the outskirts of Ilminster is another
lovely old building, the handsome part Tudor
mansion, Dillington House. It is now
owned by Somerset County Council and used
as a Residential Centre for Adult Education,
but it was originally the home of the Speke
family. In the time of James II, John Speke
was an officer in the Duke of Monmouths
ill-fated rebel army that landed at Lyme Regis
in 1685. Following the rebellions disastrous
defeat at the Battle of Sedgemoor, Speke was
forced to flee abroad, leaving his brother,
George, who had done no more than shake
the dukes hand, to face the wrath of Judge
Jeffreys. The infamous hanging judge
sentenced George to death, justifying his
decision with the words, His family owes a
life and he shall die for his brother.
Around Ilminster
BARRINGTON
3 miles NE of Ilminster off the B3168
A Barrington Court
To the east of the village is the beautiful
National Trust-owned Barrington Court,
famous for its enchanting garden influenced
by the great 20th-century garden architect
Gertrude Jekyll. This estate originally
A TOUCH OF ELEGANCE
5 West Street, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9AA
Tel: 01460 85992
e-mail: sue@atouchofelegancesomerset.co.uk
website: www.atouchofelegancesomerset.co.uk
Sue Woodbury developed her love of interiors after renovating
a Somerset cottage and in 2000 she established A Touch of
Elegance, a home interiors shop supplying furnishings of the
highest quality. There is a vast range of contemporary and
traditional wooden, glass and bespoke furniture from
companies including Zoffany and Duresta.
The collections of high quality designer fabrics come from
suppliers such as Colefax & Fowler, Sanderson, Designers
Guild and Osborne Little among others lending themselves to
the beautiful scatter cushions, bedspreads, curtains and the
many curtain trimmings and accessories available. Old
furniture can be revamped with quality upholstery and loose
covers, and curtains and blinds can be made to measure with
a choice of luxurious fabrics.
No part of the room is forgotten in A Touch of Elegance. With paints from The little green
paint company and Zoffany and a wide range of wall coverings in a variety of designs and
colours, there is something for every taste. To add interest, complete the room with one of the
beautiful wall, ceiling or standing lights or choose from the collections of smaller ornamental pieces
and giftware.
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belonged to the Daubeney family but it passed
through several hands before becoming the
property of William Clifton, a wealthy London
merchant, who was responsible for building
the house in the mid 16th century. In 1907,
the by then dilapidated Barrington Court
became the first country house to be
purchased by the National Trust. It was
restored in the 1920s by Col AA Lyle, to
whom the Trust had let the property. The
garden, too, was laid out during this time in a
series of themed areas including an iris
garden, a lily garden, a white garden and a
fragrant rose garden. Gertrude Jekyll was
brought in to advise on the initial planting and
layout and the garden remains the finest
example of her work in the Trusts care. There
is also an exceptionally attractive kitchen
garden with apple, pear and plum trees trained
along the walls that, in season, produces fruit
and vegetables for the licensed restaurant that
can be found here.
DOWLISH WAKE
2 miles SE of Ilminster off the A303 or A358
G John Hanning Speke I Perrys Cider Mills
In the parish church of this attractive village is
the tomb of John Hanning Speke, the
intrepid Victorian explorer who
journeyed for more than 2000 miles
through Africa to confirm that Lake
Victoria was, indeed, the source of
the River Nile. After his epic journey,
Speke returned to England a hero
but, tragically, on the very morning of
the day that he was due to report his
findings to the British Geographical
Association, he accidentally shot
himself while on a partridge shoot.
This picturesque village is also the
home of Perrys Cider Mills where
the cider presses are installed in a wonderful
16th-century thatched barn. If you visit in the
autumn you can see the cider-making in
progress, but the presses and an interesting
collection of vintage farm tools and
equipment are on view all year round. The full
range of ciders, including cider brandy, is
available in the shop and can be sampled from
the barrel before you buy. The shop also
stocks a huge range of country-style pottery,
stone cider jars, baskets, terracotta
kitchenware, country jams and pickles and
much more.
HINTON ST GEORGE
11 miles SE of Ilminster off the A356
G Sir Amyas Poulett E Lower Severalls
This wonderfully unspoilt former estate village
has a broad main street, thatched houses, a
medieval village cross and a striking 15th-
century church. For centuries the village was
owned by the Poulett family and it is thanks to
them that Hinton St George has been left
virtually untouched. The Pouletts arrived here
in the 15th century and the house that they
rebuilt then, Hinton House, now forms the
main structure of the present day mansion,
which has been converted into apartments.
Barrington Court
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Several ostentatious monuments to members
of the Poulett family can be seen in the
villages 15th-century Church of St George.
Commemorated by a superb alabaster
memorial is the most famous member of the
family, Sir Amyas Poulett. A loyal and
honourable courtier of Elizabeth I, Sir Amyas
fell out of favour when he declined to act on
the queens suggestion that he murder Mary,
Queen of Scots, who was in his custody. A
dainty and precise fellow, was the queens
scornful response to the knights over-
scrupulous behaviour.
On the last Thursday in October, called
Punkie Night, it is traditional for Hinton
children to beg for candles to put inside their
intricately fashioned turnip and pumpkin
lanterns. It is considered very unlucky to
refuse to give a child a candle as each lantern
is thought to represent the spirit of a dead
person who, unless illuminated, will rise up
at Halloween.
Hinton seems to have a special interest in
light. It was the first village in England to
install gas street lighting in 1863, and recently
its modern street lighting scheme received an
award from the International Dark Skies
Association because its street lamps
minimise light pollution.
Lower Severalls has an enchanting and
original garden set in front of an 18th-century
Hamstone farmhouse. The garden has an
informal style with profuse herbaceous
borders around the house and innovative
features that include a living dogwood basket,
a wadi and a scented garden.
CREWKERNE
13 miles SE of Ilminster on the A30/A356
A Church of St Batholomew D Windwhistle Hill
B Crewkerne Heritage Centre
E Clapton Court Gardens J River Parrett Trail
Another delightful small market town, noted
for its antiques and book shops, and the
famous auction house of Lawrences, which is
housed in a restored linen yard. A thriving
agricultural centre during Saxon times,
Crewkerne even had its own mint in the
decades leading up to the Norman invasion.
Evidence of this ancient former market towns
importance and wealth can still be seen in the
magnificence of its parish Church of St
Bartholomew, built using money generated
by the late medieval boom in the local wool
industry. A building of minster-like
proportions, this is one of the grandest of the
many fine Perpendicular churches to
be found in south Somerset. Unlike
many other towns in Wessex, whose
textile industries suffered an almost
total decline in later years, Crewkerne
was rejuvenated in the 18th century
when the availability of locally grown
flax led to an expansion in the
manufacture of sailcloth and canvas
webbing. Among the many
thousands of sails made here were
those for HMS Victory, Admiral
Nelsons flagship at the Battle of
Church of St Bartholomew
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Trafalgar. Nelsons captain in that
engagement was Sir Thomas Hardy, educated
at Crewkerne grammar school. Hardys career
is celebrated at the Crewkerne Heritage
Centre recently relocated in a beautifully
restored 18th century house.
The economic boost provided by the flax
industry was further fuelled by the
development of the London to Exeter
stagecoach route. This led to the rebuilding of
Crewkerne with elegant Georgian buildings,
many of which can still be seen. The main
areas, around Church and Abbey Streets, have
now been designated an Area of Outstanding
Architectural Interest.
To the west of Crewkerne rises the aptly
named Windwhistle Hill, a high chalk-
topped ridge from the top of which there are
dramatic views, on a clear day, southwards to
Lyme Bay and northwards across the Somerset
Levels to the mountains of South Wales. The
town also lies close to the source of the River
Parrett. From here the 50-mile River Parrett
Trail follows the river through some of the
countrys most ecologically sensitive and
fragile areas, the Somerset Levels and Moors.
Old mills, splendid churches, attractive villages
and ancient monuments, as well as orchards,
peaceful pastureland and traditional industries
such as cider-making and basket-weaving can
all be found along the route.
Just a couple of miles southwest of
Crewkerne, close to the village of Clapton, are
the varied and interesting Clapton Court
Gardens. Among the many beautiful features
of this 10-acre garden are the formal terraces,
the rose garden, the rockery and a water
garden. The grounds incorporate a large
wooded area containing a massive ash tree
that, at over 230 years old and 28 feet in girth,
is believed to be the oldest and the largest in
mainland Britain. There is also a fine
metasequoia that is already over 80 feet tall,
although it was only planted in 1950 from a
seed brought back from China.
HASELBURY PLUCKNETT
14 miles SE of Ilminster on the A3066
A Haselbury Bridge
This delightfully named and particularly pretty
village has a large part-Norman church whose
churchyard contains a series of unusual
squeeze stones, narrow entrances formed by
two large slabs of stone. Just to the west of
the village the lovely Haselbury Bridge, a
medieval packhorse bridge, crosses the still
young River Parrett.
CHARD
6 miles S of Ilminster on the A30
B Chard Museum A Hornsbury Mill
E Chard Reservoir Nature Reserve
The borough of Chard was first established in
1235 and, during the Middle Ages, became a
prosperous wool centre with its own mayor, or
portreeve, and burgesses. However, few
buildings date from before 1577, when a
devastating fire raged through the town and
left most of it as ashes. One building that did
survive the destruction was the fine
Perpendicular parish church. The town was
rebuilt and, today, many of these 16th and
17th-century buildings remain, including the
courthouse and the old grammar school.
Chard also has some striking Georgian and
Victorian buildings. On the outskirts of the
town the unusual round toll house, with its
conical thatched roof, is a picturesque relic of
the days of stagecoaches and turnpike roads.
Chard has expanded rapidly since World
War Two; its population has more than
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doubled. Nevertheless, the centre of this light
industrial town still retains a pleasant village-
like atmosphere that is most apparent in its
broad main shopping street. At the western
end of the towns High Street, housed in the
attractive thatched Godworth House, is the
award-winning Chard Museum amongst
whose exhibits are displays celebrating two
very inventive former residents. James
Stringfellow produced the first steam-powered
aeroplanes in the 1840s, and James Gillingham
pioneered artificial limbs a few decades later.
Also featured is Margaret Bonfield, who was
the first female British cabinet member as
Minister of Labour in 1929.
To the northwest of the town is a 200-year-
old corn mill, Hornsbury Mill, whose
impressive water wheel is still in working
order. It stands in five acres of beautiful
informally landscaped water gardens. The old
buildings have been given a new lease of life
and now incorporate a restaurant and bed and
breakfast guest rooms, and also provides a
popular venue for weddings, special events
and conferences.
To the northeast, Chard Reservoir Nature
Reserve is a conservation area where
kingfishers, great crested grebes and other rare
species of birds have made their home in and
around the lake. The nature reserve also has a
two-mile circular footpath that takes in
rustling reed beds, broad-leaved woodland and
open hay meadows.
TATWORTH
8 miles S of Ilminster off the A358
A Forde Abbey
To the northeast of Tatworth lies a meadow
that is the last remaining vestige of common
land that was enclosed in 1819. Changes in the
ownership of the land during the 1820s
allowed too many farmers grazing rights on
the land, and the meadow suffered from being
over-stocked. Therefore, in 1832, the holders
of those rights met and, calling their meeting
Stowell Court, they auctioned off the
meadow for one year and shared the proceeds.
So an annual tradition was born and the
Stowell Court still meets on the first Tuesday
after 6 April every year. Although many more
customs have been added over the years, the
auction proceedings are unique. They begin
when a tallow candle of precisely one inch in
length is lit and they end with the last bid
before the candle goes out. Today, Stowell
Mead is managed as a Site of Special
Scientific Interest and, as the land is not
treated with fertilisers, pesticides or
herbicides, it is home to many rare plants.
There is no right of way across the land but
it can be seen from the road.
A short distance to the southeast of
Tatworth, just over the county border in
Dorset, is Forde Abbey (see panel opposite),
founded in the 12th century by Cistercian
monks after they had made an unsuccessful
attempt to found an abbey in Devon. For
more details, see the entry in the Dorset
chapter of this book.
WAMBROOK
8 miles SW of Ilminster off the A30
E Ferne Animal Sanctuary
Visitors interested in animal welfare will be
keen to visit the Ferne Animal Sanctuary at
Wambrook. Originally founded in 1939 by
the Duchess of Hamilton and Brandon, the
sanctuary moved to its present position in the
valley of the River Yarty in 1975. This
pleasant 51-acre site incorporates a nature
trail, conservation area, dragonfly pools and
picnic areas.
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Yeovil
A Church of St John the Baptist
B Museum of South Somerset
Yeovil takes its name from the River Yeo,
sometimes called the River Ivel. There was a
Roman settlement here, but the town really
began to develop in the Middle Ages when a
market was established that continues to be
held every Friday. Yeovils parish Church of
St John the Baptist is the only significant
medieval structure to survive as most of the
towns other early buildings were destroyed
by the series of fires that struck the town in
the 17th century. A substantial structure with
a solid-looking tower, the church dates from
the late 14th century and has a surprisingly
austere exterior given its exceptional number
of windows. It has so many windows that it
is sometimes referred to as the Lantern of
the West.
During the 18th century, Yeovil developed
into a flourishing coaching centre due to its
strategic position at the junction of several
main routes. Industries such as glove-making,
leather-working, sailcloth-making and cheese-
producing were established here. This rapid
expansion was further fuelled by the arrival of
the railway in the mid 1800s. Then, in the
1890s, James Petter, a local ironmonger and
pioneer of the internal combustion engine,
founded a business that went on to become
one of the largest manufacturers of diesel
Forde Abbey
Tatworth, nr Chard, Somerset TA20 4LU
Tel: 01460 220231 Fax: 01460 220296
Originally founded by Cistercian monks in the 12th
century, Forde Abbey lay empty for over 100 years after
the Dissolution of the Monasteries before its was sold to
Edmund Prideaux, Oliver Cromwells Attorney General in
1649.
The remains of the abbey were incorporated into the
grand private house of the Prideaux family the old
chapter house became the family chapel and later
additions include the magnificent 17th century plaster
ceilings and the renowned Mortlake Tapestries that were
brought over from Brussels by Charles I. Today, Forde
Abbey is the home of the Roper family and it stands at the heart of this family run estate.
Along with the collection of tapestries, period furniture and paintings to see in the
house, there is the refectory and dormitory that still survive from the time of the medieval
monastery whilst the abbey is also home to the famous Eeles Pottery exhibition.
Meanwhile, the house is surrounding by wonderful gardens and they have been described
by Alan Titchmarsh as one of the greatest gardens in the West Country. There are
sloping lawns, herbaceous borders, a bog garden, lakes and a working kitchen garden that
supplies the abbeys restaurant with produce whilst rare and unusual plants are for sale at
the Plant Centre. The estate is also known for its pedigree herd of cattle and the house,
with its restaurant and tearoom, can be visited between April and October whilst the
gardens and ground are open all year round.
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engines in Britain. Although production was
eventually transferred to the Midlands, a
subsidiary set up to produce aircraft during
World War One has since evolved into a
helicopter plant.
Today, Yeovil retains its geographical
importance and is south Somersets largest
concentration of population. It is a thriving
commercial, shopping, and market town best
known perhaps as the home of Westland
Helicopters. Situated in Wyndham House, the
Museum of South Somerset documents the
social and industrial history of the town and
surrounding area, from prehistoric times to
the present. A reconstructed Roman dining
room and kitchen and Georgian House
provide settings for countless items from the
museums extensive collection. Amongst many
other intriguing exhibits is one that explains
how a patent stove was the basis for the towns
world-leading helicopter industry.
Around Yeovil
ILCHESTER
7 miles N of Yeovil off the A37
B Ilchester Museum
In Roman times, the settlement here stood at
the point where the north-south route
between Dorchester and the Bristol Channel
crossed the Fosse Way. However, it was during
the 13th century that Ilchester reached its peak
as a centre of administration, agriculture and
learning. Like its near neighbour Somerton,
Ilchester was, for a time, the county town of
Somerset. Three substantial gaols were built
here, one of which remained in use until the
1840s. Another indication of this towns
former status is the 13th-century Ilchester
Mace, Englands oldest staff of office. Up
until recently, the mace resided in the town
hall, but today a replica can be seen here, while
the original mace is on display in the County
Museum at Taunton.
The tiny Ilchester Museum is in the centre
of the town, by the Market Cross. Here the
story of the town from pre-Roman times to
the 20th century is told through a series of
exhibits that include a Roman coffin and
skeleton. Ilchester was the birthplace, in
around 1214, of the celebrated scholar, monk
and scientist, Roger Bacon, who went on to
predict the invention of the aeroplane,
telescope and steam engine, although he was
eventually imprisoned for his subversive ideas.
YEOVILTON
7 miles N of Yeovil
B Fleet Air Arm Museum
Yeovilton boasts one of the worlds largest
RED BARN FARM SHOP
Hinton Farm, Mudford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 8BA
Tel: 01935 850994
website: www.redbarnfarmshop.moonfruit.com
Our traditional, family-run farm shop sells a wide range of fantastic
produce - our prize-winning Guernseys deliver unpasteurised milk and
cream, our seasonal vegetables, fruit and flowers come straight into
the shop from a field five minutes away or from neighbouring
growers, and our free-range hens are often to be found just outside the shop, checking for any
stray crumbs. In May and June our asparagus is on sale within hours of being cut; we also sell
meat from named local producers, local cheeses, jams and chutneys, and bread and cakes.
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aviation museums, the Fleet Air Arm
Museum, which owns a unique collection of
aircraft of which around half are on
permanent display. Concorde is here along
with a hangar full of fragile vintage aircraft.
Visitors can fly aboard the museums own
carrier; use interactive displays to explore the
history and atmosphere of many of the
aircraft stored here; and undertake the Merlin
Experience that replicates a challenging flying
mission. Other attractions include a childrens
adventure playground, a large book and
souvenir shop, restaurant, airfield viewing
galleries and a picnic area.
CHARLTON MACKRELL
9 miles N of Yeovil off the A37
A Lytes Cary Manor
A couple of miles southeast of the town
stands the charming manor house of Lytes
Cary Manor (National Trust). This late
medieval stone house was built by succeeding
generations of the Lyte family, the best known
member of which was Henry Lyte, the
Elizabethan herbalist who dedicated his 1578
translation of Dodoens Cruydeboeck to Queen
Elizabeth from my poore house at
Lytescarie. After the family left the
house in the 18th century it fell into
disrepair, but in 1907 it was purchased
and restored by Sir Walter Jenner, son
of the famous Victorian physician.
Notable features include a 14th-
century chapel and Tudor Great Hall.
The present garden is an enchanting
combination of formality and
eccentricity. There is an open lawn
lined with magnificent yew topiary, an
orchard filled with quince, pear and
apple trees, and a network of
enclosed paths that every now and
then reveal a view of the house, a lily pond or
a classical statue.
SPARKFORD
8 miles NE of Yeovil on the A359
B Haynes International Motor Museum
C Cadbury Castle
The Haynes International Motor Museum is
thought to hold the largest collection of
veteran, vintage and classic cars and motorbikes
in the United Kingdom. A living and working
museum, it cares for more than 340 cars and
bikes ranging from nostalgic classics to the
super cars of today. The site contains 11 huge
display halls; one of the UKs largest speedway
collections; a kids race track; adventure play
area; gift shop and restaurant.
Just to the southeast of the village rises
Cadbury Castle, a massive Iron Age hill fort
first occupied more than 5000 years ago and
believed by some to be the location of King
Arthurs legendary Camelot. The Romans are
reputed to have carried out a massacre here in
around AD70 when they put down a revolt by
the ancient Britons. A major excavation in the
1960s uncovered a wealth of Roman and pre-
Roman remains on the site as well as
Fleet Air Arm Museum
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confirming that there was certainly a 6th-
century fortification on the hilltop. This
particular discovery ties the castle in with King
Arthur who, at around that time, was
spearheading the Celtic British resistance
against the advancing Saxons. If Cadbury
Castle had been Arthurs Camelot, it would
have been a timber fortification rather than
the turreted stone structure of the storybooks.
This easily defended hilltop was again
fortified during the reign of Ethelred the
Unready in the early 11th century. The
poorly-advised king established a mint here
in around 1000. Most of the coinage from
Cadbury was used to buy off the invading
Danes in an act of appeasement that led to
the term Danegeld. As a consequence, most
of the surviving coins from the Cadbury
mint are now to be found in the museums
of Scandinavia.
The mile-long walk around Cadbury
Castles massive earthwork ramparts
demonstrates the sites effectiveness as a
defensive position. This allowed those at the
castle to see enemys troop movements and it
now provides spectacular panoramic views
for todays visitors.
BARWICK
2 miles S of Yeovil off the A37
A Barwick Park
Pronounced barrik, this village is
home to Barwick Park, an estate
dotted with bizarre follies, arranged
at the four points of the compass.
The eastern folly, known as Jack the
Treacle Eater, is composed of a
rickety stone arch topped by a
curious turreted room. According to
local stories, the folly is named after
a foot messenger who ran back and
forth between the estate and London on a diet
of nothing more than bread and treacle. The
estate also possesses a curious grotto and a
handsome church with a Norman font and an
unusual 17th-century transeptal tower.
WEST COKER
3 miles SW of Yeovil off the A30
A Brympton dEvercy Manor
Close to the village of West Coker is the
magnificent Brympton dEvercy Manor
House dating from Norman times, but with
significant 16th and 17th-century additions.
(The house is not normally open to the
public but is available for civil weddings and
other functions.) The superb golden
Hamstone south wing was built in Jacobean
times to a design by Inigo Jones. It boasts
many fine internal features including the
longest straight single span staircase in
Britain and an unusual modern tapestry
depicting an imaginary birds-eye view of the
property during the 18th century. When
viewed from a distance, the mansion house,
the little estate church and the nearby dower
house make a delightful lakeside grouping.
In the church at nearby East Coker were
Haynes International Motor Museum
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buried the ashes of the poet and playwright
TS Eliot. His ancestors lived in the village
before emigrating to America in the mid 1600s
and it provides the title for the second of his
Four Quartets. Its opening and closing lines are
engraved on a plaque in the church:
In my beginning is my end.
In my end is my beginning.
MONTACUTE
4 miles W of Yeovil off the A3088
A Montacute House B TV, Radio & Toy Museum
This charming village of golden hamstone
houses and cottages has as its focal point the
magnificent Elizabethan mansion, Montacute
House (National Trust - see panel below),
built in the 1590s for Edward Phelips, Queen
Elizabeths Master of the Rolls. There have
been alterations made to the house over the
centuries, most notably in the late 1700s when
the west front was remodelled by the fifth
Edward Phelips. In the 19th century the
fortunes of the Phelips family began to
decline and the house was leased out. In the
1920s, following a succession of tenants, the
house was put up for sale. A gift from Ernest
Cook (the grandson of the travel agent
Thomas Cook) enabled the National Trust to
purchase this outstanding Elizabethan
residence. Constructed of Hamstone, the
house is adorned with characteristic open
parapets, fluted columns, twisted pinnacles,
oriel windows and carved statues. The long
gallery, one of the grandest of its kind in
Britain, houses a fine collection of Tudor and
Jacobean portraits on permanent loan from
Londons National Portrait Gallery. Other
noteworthy features include magnificent
tapestries and samplers on display from the
Goodhart Collection; the stone and stained
glass screen in the great hall, and Lord
Curzons bath, an Edwardian addition
concealed in a bedroom cupboard. The house
stands within a magnificent landscaped park
that incorporates a walled formal garden, a fig
walk, an orangery and a cedar lawn formally
known as Pigs Wheatiess Orchard.
Some 500 years before Montacute House
was built, a controversial castle was erected on
Montacute House
Montacute, Somerset TA15 6XP
Tel: 01935 823289
e-mail: montacute@nationaltrust.org.uk
website: nationaltrust.org.uk
Built in the late 16th century for Sir Edward
Phelips, Montacute glitters with many windows
and is adorned with elegant chimneys, carved
parapets and other Renaissance features,
including contemporary plasterwork, chimney
pieces and heraldic glass. The splendid
staterooms are full of fine 17th and 18th century
furniture and textiles. Tudor and Elizabethan portraits, from the National Portrait Gallery
are displayed in the Long Gallery, the longest of its kind in England. The House is
surrounded by formal gardens with mixed borders, old roses and interesting topiary. The
wider estate consists of landscaped parkland.
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the nearby hill by Robert, Count of Mortain.
The counts choice of site angered the Saxons
as they believed the hill to be sacred because
King Alfred had buried a fragment of Christs
cross here. In 1068, they rose up and attacked
the castle in one of many unsuccessful revolts
against the Norman occupation. Ironically, a
subsequent Count of Mortain was found
guilty of treason and forced into donating all
his lands in the area to a Cluniac priory on the
site now occupied by Montacute village. The
castle has long since disappeared, as has the
monastery, with the exception of its fine 16th-
century gatehouse, now a private home, and a
stone dovecote.
The village is also home to the Montacute
TV, Radio and Toy Museum where a vast
collection of vintage radios, wireless receivers
and TV sets, from the 1920s through to the
present day, is on display. It developed from
the keepsakes hoarded by Dennis Greenham
who had been in the electrical business since
1930. The huge collection of radio and TV
memorabilia includes toys, books and games.
There are also tearooms, gardens and a
museum shop.
TINTINHULL
4 miles NW of Yeovil
E Tintinhull Garden
A couple of miles to the east of Martock is
another enchanting National Trust property,
Tintinhull Garden, set in the grounds of an
early 17th-century manor house. The house
itself, which is not open to the public,
overlooks an attractive triangular green that
forms the nucleus of the sprawling village of
Tintinhull. The garden was laid out between
1933 and 1961 in a series of distinctive areas,
divided by walls and hedges, each with its own
planting theme. There is a pool garden with a
delightful pond filled with lilies and irises, a
kitchen garden and a sunken garden that is
cleverly designed to give the impression it has
many different levels.
Other interesting buildings in the village
include a remodelled, part-medieval rectory,
Tintinhull Court; the 17th-century Dower
House; and St Margarets parish church, a rare
rectangular single-cell church.
STOKE SUB HAMDON
5 miles NW of Yeovil off the A303
C Stoke sub Hamdon Priory D Ham Hill
The eastern part of this attractive village is
dominated by a fine Norman church; the
western area of the village contains the
remains of a late medieval priory. Stoke sub
Hamdon Priory (National Trust) was built in
the 14th and 15th centuries and later
converted into a house with a very impressive
Great Hall.
South of the village rises the 400 feet-high
Ham Hill (or Hamdon Hill), the source of
the beautiful honey-coloured stone used in so
many of the surrounding villages. This solitary
limestone outcrop rises abruptly from the
Somerset plain and provides breathtaking
views of the surrounding countryside. A
substantial hill fort, built here during the Iron
Age, was subsequently overrun by the
invading Romans. The new occupants built
their own fortification to guard their major
route, the Fosse Way, and its important
intersection with the road between Dorchester
and the Bristol Channel at nearby Ilchester.
It was the Romans who discovered that the
hills soft, even-grained limestone made a
flexible and highly attractive building material
and they used it in the construction of their
villas and temples. Later, the Saxons and then
the Normans came to share this high opinion
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ASH HOUSE HOTEL
41 Main Street, Ash, Martock,
Somerset TA12 6PB
Tel: 01935 822036
e-mail: reception@ashhousehotel.co.uk
website: www.ashhousehotel.co.uk
Ash House Hotel provides top quality accommodation
set in 1.5 acres of beautiful gardens. The Ham stone
building dates back to the early 18
th
century and
inside the hotel has been restored to its former glory.
The Georgian building, which has a flagstone floor
dating back 300 years, contains nine en-suite rooms,
which are all full of character and charm.
The rooms are comfortable and the beds have
Italian cotton sheets and fluffy towels. All of the beds
have mattress toppers and the bathrooms are
equipped with power showers. Most of the rooms
boast spectacular views over the hotels gardens,
which are floodlit at night and each have a hospitality
tray of local treats. Produce is sourced locally and
lunches and dinners are available in the hotels
Orangery, with daily changing menus, which are
imaginative and finely executed.
The owner of Ash House Hotel, Gordon Doodson,
has 25 years of experience in the hospitality trade,
and he and his staff offer a warm and friendly
welcome to all guests. For those on business trips the
hotel has meeting rooms, business facilities and
wireless internet connection. Well behaved dogs are
also welcome. Ring for details.
There are plenty of things to do in the area with
clay pigeon shooting, fishing, golf and bird watching
among the most popular. For those seeking a cultural
experience, there are plenty of museums and galleries
in the vicinity as well as cider tasting. Walkers,
cyclists and horse riders will be in their element with
plenty of nature trails to explore. Passing through
Martock, is the 50 mile long Parrett Trail. And for
shopaholics there are plenty of shopping outlets
nearby.
The hotel is located close to the village of
Martock which is a mile from the A303 London to
Exeter road. Yeovil is six miles away and the hotel is
also within easy reach of the Blackdown Hills, the
Mendips, the Quantocks, Exmoor and the Dorset
coast. There are plenty of historical sites in the area
including Montacute House, Barrington Court,
Muchelney Abbey, East Lambrook Manor and
Cadbury Castle.
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of Hamstone. By the time quarrying reached
its height in the 17th century, a sizeable
settlement had grown up within the confines
of the Iron Age fort though, today, only a
solitary inn remains. A war memorial to 44
local men who died during World War One
stands on the summit of Ham Hill. Now
designated a country park, the combination of
the view, the old earthwork ramparts and the
maze of overgrown quarry workings make
this an attractive place for recreation and
picnics.
MARTOCK
6 miles NW of Yeovil on the B3165
A Treasurers House A Pinnacle Monument
This attractive, small town is surrounded by
rich arable land and the area has long been
renowned for its prosperous land-owning
farmers. Martocks long-established affluence is
reflected in its impressive part 13th-century
parish church. A former abbey church that
once belonged to the monks of Mont St Michel
in Normandy, the church boasts one of the
finest tie-beam roofs in Somerset with almost
every part of it covered in beautiful carvings.
The old part of Martock is blessed with an
unusually large number of fine buildings.
Amongst these can be found the Treasurers
House (National Trust), a small medieval
house of two storeys built in the late 13th
century for the Treasurer of Wells Cathedral,
who was also rector of Martock. Visitors can
see the Great Hall, an interesting wall painting
and the kitchen added to the building in the
15th century. Close by is the Old Court
House, a parish building that served as the
local grammar school for 200 years. To the
west is a 17th-century Manor House, once the
home of Edward Parker, who exposed the
Gunpowder Plot after Guy Fawkes had
warned him against attending Parliament on
that fateful night.
Outside the Market House stands the
Pinnacle Monument, an unusual structure
with four sundials arranged in a square on top
of its column, the whole finished with an
attractive weather vane.
EAST LAMBROOK
E East Lambrook Manor Garden
Just west of this charming hamlet is East
Lambrook Manor Garden, which was
planted with endangered species by the writer
and horticulturist, Margery Fish, who lived at
the medieval Hamstone manor house from
1937 until her death in 1969. Her exuberant
planting and deliberate lack of
formality created an atmosphere of
romantic tranquillity that is maintained
to this day. Now Grade I listed, the
garden is also the home of the
National Collection of the cranesbill
species of geranium.
The low-lying land to the north of
East Lambrook is criss-crossed by a
network of drainage ditches or rhines
(pronounced reens) that eventually flow
into the rivers Parrett, Isle and Yeo.
Market House, Martock
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Originally cut in the early 19th century, the
ditches are often lined with double rows of
pollarded willows, a sight that has come to
characterise this part of Somerset. Despite
having to be cleared every few years, the rhines
provide a valuable natural habitat for a wide
variety of bird, animal and plant life.
MUCHELNEY
A Muchelney Abbey A Midelney Manor
H Muchelney Pottery H John Leach Gallery
This villages name means the Great Island
and it dates from the time when this
settlement rose up above the surrounding
marshland, long since drained to provide
excellent arable farmland. Muchelney is also
the location of an impressive part-ruined
Benedictine monastery thought to have been
founded by King Ine of Wessex in the 8th
century. This claim was, in part, confirmed
when, in the 1950s, an archaeological dig
unearthed an 8th-century crypt. During
medieval times Muchelney Abbey (English
Heritage) grew to emulate its great rival at
Glastonbury. After the Dissolution in 1539,
the buildings, dating mainly from the 15th and
16th centuries, gradually fell into disrepair.
Much of its stone was removed to
provide building material for the
surrounding village. In spite of this, a
substantial part of the original
structure, including the south cloister
and abbots lodge, still stands.
Opposite the parish church, which
its noted for is remarkable early 17th-
century illuminations, stands the
Priests House (National Trust), a
late-medieval hall house built by the
abbey for the parish priest. Little has
changed since the 17th century when
the building was divided. The interesting
features to see include the Gothic doorway,
the beautiful tracery windows and a massive
15th-century stone fireplace. Although it is
still a dwelling, the house is opened on a
limited basis.
At the Muchelney Pottery, John Leach
continues the tradition of his famous
grandfather, the potter Bernard Leach.
Muchelney kitchen pots are used daily in
kitchens all over the world, but the pottery is
still very much a small family business. The
pots are all lovingly hand-thrown, using local
clays, and wood-fired in the three-chambered
kiln to the high stoneware temperature of
1320C, which creates their distinctive
toasted finish. Next door to the pottery is the
kitchenware shop and the John Leach
Gallery, which provides a showcase for the
display and sale of signed work by John Leach
and other potters, with a changing selection of
paintings, ceramics, sculpture, textiles and
woodwork by leading west country artists.
Just to the west of the village, near
Drayton, stands the privately-owned
Midelney Manor, originally an island manor
belonging to Muchelney Abbey. A handsome
manor house with architectural features from
East Lambrook Manor Gardens
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Stuckeys had more notes in circulation than
any other bank in the country save for the
Bank of England. Stuckeys original head
office is now Langports branch of NatWest.
Throughout recorded history, the Langport
Gap has been the site of a number of
important military encounters. Two of the
most significant occurred more than 1000
years apart. In the 6th century, Geraint, King
of the Dumnonii, was involved in a battle
here, and in July 1645 the Parliamentarian
victory at the Battle of Langport gave
Cromwells forces almost total control of the
West Country during the English Civil War.
More about life, past and present, on the
Somerset Levels and Moors can be discovered
at the Langport and River Parrett Visitor
Centre through its series of hands-on exhibits
and displays. Cycles are available for hire along
with suggested cycle routes.
Just to the east, at Huish Episcopi, stands
one of the finest examples in the country of a
late medieval Somerset tower. At its most
impressive in high summer when it can be
viewed through the surrounding greenery, this
ornate structure is adorned with striking
tracery, pinnacles and carvings. The church
the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, this has
been in the hands of the Trevilian family since
the early 1500s. The estate incorporates a
heronry, a series of delightful gardens, a
unique 17th-century falcons mews and
woodland walks. Although the house is not
normally open to the public, there are self-
catering cottages available on the estate.
LANGPORT
12 miles NW of Yeovil on the A378
C Langport Gap A Stembridge Tower Mill
B Langport & River Parrett Visitor Centre
The old part of this former market town
stands on a rise above an ancient ford across
the River Parrett. A short distance downstream
from this point, the river is joined by the Rivers
Isle and Yeo. Defended by an earthwork
rampart during Saxon times, by AD930
Langport was an important commercial centre
that minted its own coins. The only surviving
part of the towns defences is the East Gate
incorporating a curious hanging chapel that
sits above the arch on an upper level. It is
now a Masonic Lodge and rarely open to the
public. The impressive tower of the church at
nearby Huish Episcopi can be
seen through the barrel-
vaulted gateway.
During the 18th and 19th
centuries, Langport flourished
as a banking centre and the
local independent bank,
Stuckeys, became known for its
impressive branches, many of
which can still be seen in the
surrounding towns and villages,
although the bank has long
since been taken over by
NatWest. At the time of this
amalgamation in 1909,
Floods on the Somerset Levels
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also has an elaborate Norman doorway, which
still shows signs of the fire that destroyed
much of the earlier building in the 13th
century. A window in the south chapel was
designed by Edward Burne-Jones, the
19th-century Pre-Raphaelite.
The church at Aller, just northwest of
Langport, was the scene of another historic
event. It was here, in AD878, that King Alfred
converted Guthrum the Dane and his
followers to Christianity following a battle on
Salisbury Plain. The low wooded rise to the
east of Aller is criss-crossed by a network of
ancient country lanes that pass through some
pleasant hamlets and villages including High
Ham, the home of the last thatched windmill
in England. Dating from 1822 and
overlooking the Somerset levels, Stembridge
Tower Mill (National Trust) continued to
operate until 1910.
SOMERTON
13 miles NW of Yeovil on the B3151
A Church of St Michael H Courthouse Gallery
This small town gave the county its name, and
for 100 years between 1250 and 1350 was also
its administrative centre. The prosperity this
brought to the town is reflected in the fine
Church of St Michael, which was later
enhanced even further by the installation of a
magnificent roof. Carved around 1500 by
monks from Muchelney Abbey, the gloriously
coffered structure is supported by tie beams
on which rest pairs of Wessex wyverns, or
dragons. These gradually increase in size as
they near the altar, culminating in two
ferocious monsters snarling across the aisle at
each other.
Somerton today is a place of handsome old
stone houses, shops and inns. The general
THE COURTHOUSE GALLERY - HOME OF THE SOMERSET GUILD OF
CRAFTSMEN
Market Place, West Street, Somerton,
Somerset TA11 7LX
Tel: 01458 274653
e-mail: courthouse@somersetguild.co.uk
website: www.somersetguild.co.uk
The Courthouse Gallery is the permanent home of the Guild
which has been promoting excellence within craftsmanship in
Somerset for over 75 years, since 1933. The Gallery exhibits and sells
a diverse selection of eclectic and beautifully crafted items,
representing the very best of craftsmanship from the length and
breadth of Somerset and adjacent counties. Our ethos is to champion
and nurture our local designers and host a number of themed
exhibitions throughout the year to offer inspiring, contemporary, and
affordable craft to suit all tastes. All craft has been created from a
wealth of dedicated members who have gone through a stringent
selection process to ensure excellence is guaranteed with every item. The Gallery is situated in the
charming, ancient capital of Wessex, Somerton. An area steeped in fascinating history and where
many a happy hour can be spent.
Gallery & Shop open throughout the year Mon Sat 10am 5pm
FREE ADMISSION
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pottery and ceramics, glass, metalwork and
wood, through to furniture and textiles.
Castle Cary
A Round House B Castle Cary District Museum
A War Memorial H John Boyd Textiles
This lovely little town, surrounded by
meadows and woods, has an atmosphere of
mature rural calm as well as some interesting
old buildings, many of them built in the local
hamstone that radiates a golden glow. There
is a strikingly handsome 18th-century post
office, a tiny pepper pot lock-up gaol called
the Round House dating from 1779, and a
splendid Market House with a magnificent
17th-century colonnade. Largely constructed
atmosphere of mature prosperity is heightened
by the presence of a number of striking ancient
buildings, most notably the 17th-century Hext
Almshouses. Broad Street leads into the
picturesque market place with its distinctive
octagonal covered Market Cross and Town
Hall. Between 1278 and 1371, Somerton was
the location of the county gaol and the meeting
place of the shire courts, as well as continuing
to develop as a market town, reflected in the
delightfully down-to-earth names of some of
its streets such as Cow Square and Pig Street
(now Broad Street).
The Courthouse Gallery in the Market
Place provides a showcase for work by
members of the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen.
At any one time, as many as sixty members may
be exhibiting here with artefacts ranging from
THE COACH HOUSE
Alford, Castle Cary, Somerset BA7 7PN
Tel: 01963 240315
e-mail: liz@alfordcoachhouse.co.uk
website: www.alfordcoachhouse.co.uk
Liz Thring offers B&B and self catering accommodation at The Coach
House in the village of Alford 2 miles west of Castle Cary on the
B3153. The Coach House was converted recently into a comfortable and elegantly furnished family
home with three guest bedrooms, two en suite and one with adjacent private bathroom. The self
catering annex has one twin and one double bedroom, and can sleep up to six with z beds, and
with access to a large garden. The Coach House is set in farmland and woodland with the river
Brue running through the grounds. It is a lovely place to unwind and relax for a walking holiday and
a perfect base for discovering the many scenic and historic attractions of the region.
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in 1855, the Market House is now the home
of the volunteer-run Castle Cary District
Museum. Perhaps the most interesting site
here is the towns War Memorial, which
stands in the middle of a pond said to be
part of the old castle moat. It was used for
many years as a drive-through bath for
muddy horses and carts, for washing
horsehair, and as a convenient place for
ducking scolds and witches.
Just to the west of the town at Higher Flax
Mills is an interesting survival from earlier
days. John Boyd Textiles have been weavers
of horsehair fabric since 1837 and are still
using looms that were first installed in 1870.
Horsehair was especially popular in Victorian
times because of its durability and for being
easy to clean. Furniture designers such as
Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Lutyens and
Charles Rennie Mackintosh all used horsehair
fabrics, which were also used for Empire and
Biedermeier furniture. Guided tours of the
mill are available by arrangement.
Around Castle Cary
BRUTON
4 miles NE of Castle Cary on the A359
A Sexeys Hospital A Patwell Pump
A The Dovecote
This remarkably well-preserved former
clothing and ecclesiastical centre, clinging to a
hillside above the River Brue, is more like a
small town than a village. In the middle of the
High Street is the 17th-century Sexeys
Hospital, with a beautiful quadrangle
providing a stunning view across the Brue
valley. It has a small, candle-lit chapel with
dark Jacobean oak pews and pulpit. The
OATES AND MUSSON FINE FOODS
Fore Street, Castle Cary, Somerset BA7 7BG
Tel: 01963 359023
e-mail: katie@oatesandmusson.com
website: www.oatesandmusson.co.uk
Katie Lee-Pawsey opened her outstanding deli and grocery shop,
Oates and Musson Fine Foods, in August 2009. The following
April she won the award for Best Independent Food Shop in
Somerset. The shop had already won the Best Independent
Food Retailer award from Taste of Somerset. Our mission says
Katie, is to provide locals and visitors alike with high quality,
reasonably priced, sustainably sourced goods, and aim for 70% of
all goods to be supplied within 50 miles of our doorstep. Her
shop specialises in delicious local fayre, anything from
scrumptious cakes to divine cheeses, ciders and ales, superb cold
meats to yummy freshly prepared salads. Also on offer are
organic, Fair Trade and sustainable produce, refillable cleaning
products and Eco-friendly baby wares
Oates and Musson also offer a catering service, specialising in
canap parties, dinner parties and picnics for between 2 and 150
people. Everything you could possibly need for a romantic picnic
for two, a family day out or to mark a special occasion. And if
you are looking for an ideal present for someone who really
appreciates fine foods and wine, why not check out the fine and bespoke hampers available?
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hospital was founded by Hugh Sexey, a
courtier of Elizabeth I and James I. It still
accommodates the elderly and also has a
school that is one of the few state boarding
schools in England.
A priory was first established at Bruton in
the 11th century, and although much of this
has disappeared, the former priory church is
now the parish church. The Church of St Mary
has a rare second tower built over the north
porch in the late 1300s. The light and spacious
interior contains a number of memorials to the
Berkeley family, the local lords of the manor
who also owned the land on which Londons
Berkeley Square now stands.
Across the river from the church is the
Patwell Pump, a curious square structure
that was the parishs communal water pump
and remained in use until well into the 20th
century. Further downstream a 15th-century
packhorse bridge still serves pedestrians.
However, The Dovecote is arguably
Brutons most distinctive building. Now
roofless, it can be seen on the crest of a hill
to the south of the bridge. Built in the 15th
century, the dovecote is thought to have
doubled as a watchtower.
WINCANTON
5 miles SE of Castle Cary off the A303
I Wincanton Racecourse H Discworld Emporium
Wincantons broad main street is flanked by
substantial houses and former coaching inns, a
faint echo of the era when as many as 17
coaches a day would stop here, pausing about
halfway between London and the long-
established naval base at Plymouth. At that
time, the inns could provide lodging for scores
of travellers and stabling for more than 250
horses. A former cloth-making centre, the
oldest part of this attractive town stands on a
draughty hillside above the River Cale. An
impressive number of fine Georgian buildings,
some of which were constructed to replace
earlier buildings destroyed in a fire in 1747,
can be found here.
Modern day Wincanton is a peaceful light
industrial town whose best known attraction,
Wincanton National Hunt Racecourse,
harks back to the days when horses were the
only form of transport. Horse-racing began
in the area in the 18th century and the
racecourse moved to its present site to the
north of the town centre in 1927. Wincanton
is remembered as the course where the great
Desert Orchid had his first race of each season
during his dominance of steeple-chasing in
the 1980s. For golf enthusiasts, the
racecourse incorporates a challenging nine-
hole pay and play course, which is open
throughout the year.
Wincanton also has the distinction of being
home to the only shop in the known universe
devoted to artefacts inspired by the writings
of Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld
novels, which have sold more than 40 million
copies worldwide. At The Cunning
Artificers Discworld Emporium devotees
will find all manner of wonderful objects
ranging from the Mystic Prawn Medallion to
the Dibbler Pie A culinary delight that will
act as not just a superb paperweight, but also
an appetite depressant.
TEMPLECOMBE
8 miles SE of Castle Cary on the A357
I Gartell Light Railway
B Templecombe Railway Museum
To the east of the village is the unusual
Gartell Light Railway, a rare two-foot gauge
line that runs for around a mile through the
beautiful countryside of Blackmore Vale on
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the track bed of the Somerset and Dorset
Railway, closed more than 30 years ago. The
trains run every 15 minutes from Common
Line Station, which also has a visitor centre,
refreshment room and shop. The nearby
Templecombe Railway Museum houses a
fascinating collection of artefacts,
photographs and models that tell the story of
the nearby station, once a busy junction where
some 130 railwaymen worked.
Wells
A Cathedral of St Andrew H Astronomical Clock
A Bishops Palace A Penniless Porch
B Wells & Mendip Museum
This ancient ecclesiastical centre derives its
name from a line of springs that rise up
from the base of the Mendips and deliver
water at the rate of some 40 gallons per
second. The first church here is believed to
have been founded by King Ine in around
AD700; the present Cathedral of St
Andrew was begun in the 12th century.
Taking more than three centuries to
complete, this magnificent building
demonstrates the three main styles of
Gothic architecture. Its 13th-century west
front, with more than 170 statues of saints,
angels and prophets gazing down on the
cathedral close, is generally acknowledged to
be its crowning glory. There used to be twice
as many statues, all painted in glowing colours.
Following the Civil War, Puritan fanatics
mutilated or destroyed as many as they could
and 700 years of exposure to the Somerset
weather has scoured away the colours. A few,
including the central figure of Christ in His
Glory, have been replaced with faithful copies.
Inside the cathedral there are many superb
features including the beautiful and unique
scissor arches and the great 14th-century
stained glass window over the high altar.
However, the cathedrals most impressive
artefact is its 14th-century Astronomical
Clock, one of the oldest working timepieces
in the world. It displays the minutes, hours
and phases of the moon on separate inner and
Bishops Palace
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outer dials and marks the quarter hours with a
lively battle between knights.
The west front of the cathedral has an
internal passage with pierced apertures and
there is a theory that choirboys might have
sung through these openings to give the
illusion to those gathered on the cathedral
green that the then lifelike painted statues
were singing.
To the south of the cathedrals cloisters is
the Bishops Palace, a remarkable fortified
medieval building, which has been the home
of the bishops of Bath and Wells since 1206.
The palace is enclosed by a high wall and
surrounded by a moat fed by the springs that
give the city its name. A pair of mute swans
on the moat can often be seen at the
Gatehouse, ringing a bell for food. Swans were
trained to do this in the 19th century and the
present pair continue the tradition, passing it
on to their young.
In order to gain access to the palace from
the Market Place, visitors must pass under a
13th-century stone arch known as the Bishops
Eye and then cross a drawbridge that was last
raised for defensive purposes in 1831.
Although it is still an official residence of the
Bishop of Bath and Wells, visitors can tour the
palaces chapel, the 13th-century Great Hall
and the beautiful gardens where many of the
fine trees were planted in 1821. On the
northern side of the cathedral green is the
Vicars Close, completed in 1363. This
picturesque cobbled thoroughfare was built to
house the cathedral choristers.
The cathedral green is surrounded by a high
wall breached at only three castellated entrance
points. One of these, the gateway into the
Market Place, is known as Penniless Porch. It
was here that the bishop allowed the citys
poor to beg for money from those entering
the cathedral close. Set in the pavement here is
a length of brass that extends over the
prodigious distance leapt by local girl Mary
Rand when she set a world record for the long
jump at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
There is, of course, much more to Wells
than its ecclesiastical buildings and heritage.
The Wells and Mendip Museum, found
near the west front of the cathedral, explains
much of the history of the city and
surrounding area through a collection of
interesting locally found artefacts. Amongst
these are some Roman coins and lead ingots,
geological remains some 180 million years old
when the Mendip Hills were a tropical
paradise, and the remains of the Witch of
Wookey Hole.
The city also remains a lively market centre,
with a street market held every Wednesday and
Saturday. For a grand view of Wells from a
distance, follow the attractive footpath that
starts from the Moat Walk and leads up the
summit of Tor Hill.
Around Wells
STRATTON-ON-THE-FOSSE
9 miles NE of Wells on the A367
A Downside Abbey
This former coal mining village is home to the
famous Roman Catholic boys public school,
Downside Abbey, which occupies the site of
a monastery founded in 1814 by a group of
English Benedictines. The steady expansion of
the school during the 20th century encouraged
the monks to move to a new site on higher
ground near the existing abbey church, an
impressive building that took over 70 years to
complete and numbered among its architects
Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
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MIDSOMER NORTON
10 miles NE of Wells on the B3355
B Radstock, Midsomer North & District Museum
The history of the area around this town is
one of mining, with coal being hewn from
nearby Norton Hill until as recently as the
1970s. In the churchyard of the towns parish
church is a memorial to the 12 miners who
were killed in an accident at Wellsway coal
works in 1839. The surrounding countryside is
beautiful and the sights and sounds of
collieries have long since been replaced with
that of open farmland. Midsomer Norton
itself is a pleasant mix of old and new. There
are excellent shopping facilities along with
attractive Georgian buildings and a late
medieval tithe barn.
At the interesting Radstock, Midsomer
North and District Museum, housed in a
converted 18th-century barn, more
information can be sought about the Somerset
coalfield as the museum is devoted to the
people of the local coal mines, along with
other exhibits relating to the railways, farms
and schools of the area.
CAMELEY
10 miles NE of Wells off the A37
A St Jamess Church
This attractive village is home to a church
referred to by John Betjeman as Rip Van
Winkles Church. When the village of
Cameley was moved to nearby Temple Cloud
in the 1700s, St Jamess Church was left
alone on its low hill. Its old box pews are still
in place and seem to have been custom-made
for their owners. Those who couldnt afford
their own box could worship from the gallery
along the south wall, which bears the legend
for the free use of the inhabitants, 1819. A
row of hat pegs was also conveniently
provided. In the 1960s, a remarkable series of
medieval wall paintings was discovered here,
under layers of whitewash. The murals are
believed to have been painted between the
11th and the 17th centuries and feature such
diverse images as the foot of a giant St
Christopher stepping through a fish and crab
infested river, a charming 14th-century jester
complete with harlequin costume, and a rare
coat of arms of Charles I.
MELLS
13 miles NE of Wells off the A362
F John Horner
Mells was at one time on the easternmost limit
of the lands belonging to Glastonbury Abbey.
In the 15th century, the Abbot of
Glastonbury drew up plans to rebuild the
village in the shape of a St Anthonys cross,
with four arms of equal length. However, only
one street, New Street, was ever completed.
This architectural gem can still be seen to the
south of St Andrews parish church. While the
exterior of the church is certainly imposing,
the main interest lies inside where there is a
remarkable collection of monuments designed
by masters such as Lutyens, Gill, Munnings
and Burne-Jones. One of the memorials is to
Raymond, the eldest son of Herbert Asquith,
the Liberal Prime Minister. Raymond was
Midsomer Norton High Street
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killed in the First World War. Raymonds sister
was Violet Bonham Carter, whose grave is in
the churchyard. Another memorial in the
churchyard honours the pacifist and poet
Siegfried Sassoon.
According to legend, the Abbot of
Glastonbury, in an attempt to stave off Henry
VIIIs Dissolution of the Monasteries,
dispatched his steward, John Horner, to
London with a gift for the king consisting of a
pie into which was baked the title deeds of 12
ecclesiastical manor houses. However, rather
than attempting to persuade the king, Horner
returned to Somerset the rightful owner of
three of the manors himself. He paid a total
of 2000 for Mells, Nunnery and Leigh-upon-
Mendip. This blatant act of disloyalty is,
supposedly, commemorated in the nursery
rhyme Little Jack Horner that describes how
Jack put in his thumb and pulled out a
plum. The manor house at Mells remained in
the hands of the Horner family until the early
20th century, when it passed to the Asquith
family by marriage.
LULLINGTON
19 miles NE of Wells off the B3090
A Orchardleigh Park
A footpath leads southwards from this
peaceful riverside village to Orchardleigh
Park, an imposing Victorian mansion built in
the mid 1800s and now a popular venue for
civil weddings and conferences. In the 550
acres of parkland surrounding the house is a
lake with an island on which is a small church
whose graveyard contains the grave of Sir
Henry Newbolt, the author of Drakes Drum.
SHEPTON MALLET
6 miles E of Wells on the A371
A Church of St Peter & St Paul A Market Cross
A The Shambles I Mid-Somerset Show
I Royal Bath & Wells Show E Pilton Manor
A Tithe Barn
Situated on the banks of the River Sheppey,
just to the west of Fosse Way, this old market
town has been an important centre of
communications since before the time of the
Romans. The settlements name is Saxon and it
means, quite simply, sheep town. This reveals
its main commercial activity from before the
Norman Conquest to the Middle Ages, when
Shepton Mallet was, firstly, a centre of woollen
production and then weaving. The industry
reached its peak in the 15th century. It was
around this time that the towns most striking
building, its magnificent parish Church of St
Peter & St Paul was constructed. It is notable
for its superb wagon roof with 350 small
painted panels and for its pulpit carved from a
single block of stone.
NOSTALGIA AT NO. 1
1 Market Place, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 5AZ
e-mail: contact@nostalgia-stonehouse.co.uk
website: www.nostalgia-stonehouse.co.uk
Niki Fretwell loves decorating her own home with vintage items
and antiques she finds at flea markets, and recycles fabrics and
other items to produce the hand crafted goods she sells at her
new shop in the heart of Shepton Mallet. Whether you like old-fashioned Victoriana or frivolous
fifties fun, youll find something here, from cushions and quilts to handbags and hats, by way of
pretty cottage prints, old photographs, rose decorated china, and boudoir accessories.
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Other reminders of Shepton Mallets past
can be seen around its market place where
there is a 50-foot Market Cross, dating from
around 1500 and restored in Victorian times.
There is also The Shambles, a 15th-century
wooden shed where meat was traded. After
the Duke of Monmouths ill-fated Pitchfork
Rebellion, several of his followers were
executed at the Market Cross in 1685 on the
orders of the infamous Judge Jeffreys.
Although it is a relatively nondescript building,
Shepton Mallets old prison, built in 1610, was
thought to be so well away from the threat of
enemy bombing that it was here that the
Domesday Book was hidden during World
War Two. It was also used during that period
by the US forces as a military prison.
Today, Shepton Mallet is a prosperous light
industrial town that has a good selection of
shopping and leisure activities. Each year the
town plays host to two agricultural shows. The
Royal Bath and West Show, which has a
permanent showground to the southeast of the
town takes place in late May/early June,
followed in August by the Mid-Somerset Show.
To the southwest of the town stands a
former residence of the abbots of
Glastonbury, Pilton Manor, whose grounds
have been planted with vines, mostly of the
German Riesling variety. Visitors are
encouraged to stroll around the estate
and also take the opportunity of
sampling the vineyards end product.
Another legacy of Glastonbury Abbey
can be found at Pilton village where
there is a great cruciform Tithe Barn
that stands on a hill surrounded by beech
and chestnut trees. Unfortunately, the
barn lost its arch-braced roof when it
was struck by lightning in 1963, but has
since been restored.
At Croscombe, to the west of Shepton
Mallet, is another fine 15th-century Tithe
Barn, a reminder of the days when the local
tenant farmers paid a proportion of their crops
each year to their ecclesiastical landlords.
NUNNEY
12 miles E of Wells off the A361
A Castle
This picturesque old market town is
dominated by its dramatic moated Castle,
begun in 1373 by Sir John de la Mare on his
return from the French wars. Thought to
have been modelled on the Bastille, the
fortress consists of four solidly built towers
that stand on an island formed by a stream
on one side and a broad water-filled moat on
the other. The castle came under attack from
Parliamentarian forces during the English
Civil War and, despite having a garrison of
only one officer, eight men and a handful of
civilian refugees, held out for two days.
However, the bombardment damaged the
building beyond repair and it had to be
abandoned, leaving the romantic ruins that
can still be seen today. One of the 30-pound
cannonballs that were used by Cromwells
forces can be seen in the villages
13th-century church.
Nunney Castle
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CREAM LUXURY KNITWEAR
33 Catherine Hill, Frome,
Somerset BA11 1BY
Tel: 01373 453311
e-mail: avril@luxuryknitwear.co.uk
website: www.luxuryknitwear.co.uk
Avril Mann, founder of Cream Luxury
Knitwear, has long been passionate
about knitwear and her designs are
comfortable, easy to wear, suitable for
all shapes and sizes, smart or casual,
and equally suitable for town or country
wear. She loves colour, and her
collections move away from the drab
monotone to vivid mix and match brights, giving her clothes a fresh, contemporary look and feel.
Her luxury knitwear has graced the windows of top boutiques around the world, from New York
and Beverley hills to Paris and London.
Originally based in London, Avril now lives, designs and makes everything here in Somerset
with her team of expert knitters. Cream Luxury Knitwear offers a bespoke service, ensuring that
every design in the shop can be ordered in the exact size and colour to suit each individual
customer. This lovely boutique is open from 10 to 5 Tuesday to Saturday, and shoppers who cant
get to Frome can order by phone.
JENNY BARTON CERAMICS
AT THE ENIGMA POTTERY STUDIO
Enigma Pottery Studio, Vicarage Street,
Frome, Somerset BA11 1PX
Tel: 01373 452079
e-mail: jbarton@enigmapottery.co.uk
website: www.enigmapottery.co.uk
Jenny Bartons Ceramics can be found in the gallery shop of Enigma
Pottery Studio. In the showroom on Vicarage Street visitors can
browse and choose from the wide range of exquisite pieces created
by Jenny in her studio in the walled garden behind the showroom.
Random Ware is a full range of tableware for the discerning diner, in
a choice of five textured designs. The plates and bowls, the mugs
and jugs, the cups and saucers, the pots and cake stands are colour
washed to suit the ambience of the customers home and are high-
fired to stoneware to make them dishwasher safe.
Romantic Mood Ware is a range of soap dishes, mugs, bowls,
candle accessories and jewellery made from earthenware clay and
finished in a smooth glaze with touches of colour to suit the mood.
Bespoke Garden Ceramics are sculptures, plant pots and bird baths
made to order, each piece hand-made and finished in stoneware
ceramic for frost resistance. The range includes garden fairies (boys and girls) which can be
dressed in the customers chosen outfit. Jenny also organises adult and after-school pottery
classes and pottery-making parties please phone for details.
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FROME
17 miles E of Wells off the A361
A Blue House A Longleat House
The fourth largest settlement in Somerset,
Frome is an attractive town built on steep hills
with cobbled streets and boasting more listed
buildings than anywhere else in Somerset.
The town developed beside the river from
which it takes its name, its first recorded
building being a mission station founded in
AD685 by St Aldhelm, the Abbot of
Malmesbury. Such was the expansion around
St Aldhelms stone Church of St John that, by
the time of the Domesday Book, the
settlement had a market, which suggests that it
was already a place of some importance.
General markets still take place every
Wednesday and Saturday.
Frome continued to prosper during the
Middle Ages on the back of its cloth industry
until competition from the woollen towns of
the north in the 19th century saw the industry
begin to decline. The trade in Frome died out
completely in the 1960s. Since then other
industries, printing in particular, have
flourished and the population has doubled to
more than 20,000.
Fortunately, this new growth has not spoilt
the charm of the towns old centre. Best
explored on foot, the towns old quarter is an
attractive conservation area where, amidst the
interesting shops, cafs and restaurants, can be
found the Blue House. Built in 1726 as an
almshouse and a boys school, it is one of the
towns numerous listed buildings. Another is
the fine bridge across the River Frome, a
contemporary of Baths Pulteney Bridge
dating from 1667, and unusual in having
buildings along its length.
A popular excursion from Frome is to
Longleat House, about five miles to the south
and just across the county border in Wiltshire.
The magnificent home of the Marquess of
Bath was built by his ancestor, Sir John Thynne,
in a largely symmetrical style in the 1570s. The
interior is a treasure house of Old Masters,
Flemish tapestries, exquisite furniture, rare
books and the present Lord Baths racy murals.
The superb grounds were landscaped by
Capability Brown and now contain one of the
countrys best known venues for a marvellous
day out. In the famous Safari Park the Lions of
Longleat, first introduced in 1966, have been
followed by a veritable Noahs Ark of exotic
creatures, including rhinos, zebras and white
tigers. The park also offers safari boat rides, a
narrow-gauge railway, a childrens amusement
area, a garden centre, and the largest hedge
maze in the world.
FROME WHOLEFOODS
Cheap Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1BN
Tel: 01373 473334
Located in picturesque Cheap Street, noted for its
speciality shops, Frome Wholefoods, established by
Sheila Gore in 1997, offers an extensive choice of
organic and natural whole foods. It also stocks a huge
range of dried herbs and spices, organic beers and wines,
Fairtrade products, and a selection of herbal medicines
and cosmetics. Freshly delivered each day, youll also
find tasty bread made from local flour.
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BALTONSBOROUGH
9 miles S of Wells off the A37
G St Dunstan
Baltonsborough was one of the 12 manors
owned by Glastonbury Abbey, which lies just
to the northwest. In those days, the lives of
the people of the village were completely
governed by the monks. The permission of
the abbey had to be sought before a daughter
could be married, while on a mans death his
chattels and beasts became the property of the
abbey. St Dunstan is said to have been born
here between AD909 and AD925 - the ancient
flour mill in the village is thought to have been
owned by Dunstans father. Before entering
Glastonbury Abbey, Dunstan found favour at
the court of King Athelstan but, once he had
given up his worldly possessions, Dunstan
followed an austere regime. By setting himself
apart from the abbeys other novices, Dunstan
soon rose through the ranks of the religious
house to become abbot, whereupon he
enforced the strict Benedictine code. The
wealth of Glastonbury grew under Dunstan
and he also encouraged pilgrims to make their
way here to see the holy relics. As well as being
a great cleric and an entrepreneur, Dunstan
was also an engineer. He was one of the first
people to instigate the draining of the land in
this area. From Glastonbury, Dunstan moved
to Canterbury, where he was Archbishop until
his death.
GLASTONBURY
6 miles SW of Wells on the A39
A Glastonbury Abbey C Lake Village
A George & Pilgrim Hotel B Rural Life Museum
D Glastonbury Tor I Glastonbury Festival
G King Arthur
Today, this ancient town of myths and
legends, of tales of King Arthur and the
early Christians, is an attractive market town
still dominated by the ruins of its abbey. The
dramatic remains of Glastonbury Abbey
(see panel opposite) lie in the heart of the old
town and, if the story of Joseph of
Arimathea is to be believed, this is the site of
the earliest Christian foundation in the
British Isles. By the Middle Ages,
Glastonbury was second only to Rome as a
place of Christian pilgrimage.
Joseph of Arimathea, the wealthy Jerusalem
merchant who had provided a tomb for the
crucified Jesus, is said to have arrived at
Glastonbury in around AD60. According to
legend, while he was walking on the tor,
Joseph drove his staff into the ground
whereupon it took root and burst into leaf.
Taking this as a sign that he should build a
church, Joseph erected a simple church on the
site now taken by the abbey. His staff is
reputed to have grown into the celebrated
Christmas-flowering Glastonbury hawthorn.
Today, the picturesque abbey ruins, with
their associations with the legend of King
Arthur, remain a great tourist attraction. It
was Henry III who caused search to be made
for King Arthurs tomb at Glastonbury. His
workmen found it with suspiciously little
difficulty. After digging down some seven feet,
they unearthed a huge stone slab bearing a
cross of lead. No body, however. So they
continued digging another nine feet and then
found the bones of the great prince. This
fortuitous find brought a further influx of
sightseers to the town.
During the Middle Ages, Glastonbury
Abbey was also an internationally renowned
centre of learning, and scholars and pilgrims
from all over Christendom made their way
here. One of the guest houses built to
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accommodate them is now the George and
Pilgrim Hotel. Originally constructed in
1475, this striking building has old timber
beams adorned with carved angels and an
interior guarded by a series of curious monks
death masks. Close by is another 15th-century
building, the handsome Tribunal that is home
to the towns Tourist Information Centre.
Even the towns Rural Life Museum,
which explores the life of farmers in this area
during the 19th and early 20th centuries,
cannot escape from the influence of the
abbey. Although the museum itself is housed
in a Victorian farmhouse, there is an
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9EL
Tel: 01458 832267 Fax: 01458 832267
e-mail: glastonbury.abbey@dial.pipex.com
website: www.glastonburyabbey.com
Set in the middle of the old market town,
Glastonbury Abbey has been an
influence on the lives of those who have
lived in this part of the world for the past
1,950 years and there are many people
who believe that the Somerset
Tradition makes the association even
longer than that. It is said that it was
here that the followers of Jesus landed shortly after His death and set up the first Christian
settlement with its own church in Britain, whilst some traditions go further and suggest that
Christ Himself came to Glastonbury as a boy on one of the boats of his great uncle, Joseph
of Arimathea. The legends around Glastonbury would certainly indicate that it was Joseph
of Arimathea, and not St Augustine centuries later, who started the Christian conversion of
Great Britain in the 1st century.
What, however, can be said with more certainty is that Glastonbury Abbey was a
major Christian sanctuary during the 5th and 6th centuries and, by the time of the Norman
Conquest, it was considered to be the wealthiest and grandest abbey in the country.
Such was its status within England during the Dark Ages that it would have been logical
that the great Celtic monarch, King Arthur, should be buried here after his long struggle
against the Saxons.
Following the Dissolution in the 16th century, the abbey fell into ruins and, along with it,
King Arthurs tomb was destroyed. Nevertheless, a number of impressive remains have
survived and these include St Marys Chapel, the shell of the great church, and the 14th
century Abbots Kitchen. However, people coming here today come for three main reasons:
to see where the first church might have existed; to see where King Arthur and Queen
Guinevere might have been buried; and to enjoy the beautiful and peaceful parkland that
surrounds the ruins.
The abbey is a private organisation run by trustees and, although a small concern, the
abbey remains open throughout the year. Along with the ruins and the parkland, there is an
award winning museum and a small abbey shop and visitors may also come across Brother
Thomas Cleeve, the Guestmaster of 1538.
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impressive 14th-century barn here that once
belonged to Glastonbury Abbey.
To the east of the town, Glastonbury Tor
is a dramatic hill that rises high above the
surrounding Somerset Levels. The 520-feet
tor has been inhabited since prehistoric times
and excavations on the site have revealed
evidence of Celtic, Roman and pre-Saxon
occupation. Because of its unusually regular
conical shape the hill has long been
associated with myth and legends. In its time,
it has been identified as the Land of the
Dead, the Celtic Otherworld, a Druids
temple, a magic mountain, an Arthurian hill
fort, a ley line intersection and a rendezvous
point for passing UFOs. Along with its
mystical energy, the tor also offers
magnificent panoramic views across Somerset
to Wells, the Mendips, the Quantocks and the
Bristol Channel. The striking tower at the
summit is all that remains of the 15th-century
Church of St Michael, an offshoot of
Glastonbury Abbey. Between the tor and the
town lies the wooded rise of Chalice Hill,
where, it is said, Joseph buried the Holy Grail,
the chalice used at the Last Supper.
In recent years, a new band of pilgrims has
been making their way to Glastonbury every
June. The first Glastonbury Festival took
place in 1970 and 1500 people came; that
figure has now multiplied by 100. Pop idols
who have played here include Johnny Cash,
David Bowie, Van Morrison, Led Zeppelin
and many more. The event is now the largest
open air festival in Europe.
To the northwest of the town is the site of
a prehistoric Lake Village discovered in 1892
when it was noticed that the otherwise level
fields were studded with irregular mounds.
Thought to date from around 150BC, the
dwellings were built on a series of tall
platforms that raised them above the
surrounding marshland.
STREET
7 miles SW of Wells on the A39
A Friends Meeting House B Shoe Museum
The oldest part of this now sprawling town
lies around the 14th-century parish Church
of the Holy Trinity, although most of the
town itself dates from the 19th century when
Street began to expand from a small rural
village into the light industrial town it is
today. Much of this growth was due to one
family, the Clarks. In the 1820s, the Quaker
brothers, Cyrus and James Clark began to
produce sheepskin slippers from the hides of
local animals. Many of the towns older
buildings owe their existence to the family. In
particular, there is the Friends Meeting
House of 1850 and the building that housed
the original Millfield School.
The oldest part of the Clarks factory has
now been converted into a fascinating Shoe
Museum. Although the company is one of
the largest manufacturers of quality footwear
in Europe, it continues to keep its
headquarters in the town and also operates the
Clarks Village Shopping Outlet where 90
leading brands offer discounts of up to 60%
every day.
MEARE
6 miles SW of Wells on the B3151
A Abbots Fish House
E Shapwick Heath Nature Reserve
Just to the east of this attractive village is an
unusual medieval building known as the
Abbots Fish House. Before 1700, this
isolated building stood on the edge of Meare
Pool, once a substantial lake that provided
nearby Glastonbury Abbey with a regular
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supply of freshwater fish. Before the lake was
drained, this early 14th-century building was
used for storing fishing equipment and salting
the catches.
To the southwest of Meare, in terrain
scarred by years of peat extraction, is the
Shapwick Heath Nature Reserve, which
provides a safe haven for rare plants and
wildlife. Parts of the neolithic Sweet Track,
the oldest man-made routeway in Britain, still
exist beneath the wet peat. This remarkable
timber track was constructed around 3800BC
to cross a mile or so of reed swamp. Many
artefacts have been found beside the trackway
including stone axes, pots containing
hazelnuts, a childs toy tomahawk and a
polished jadeite axe from the Alps.
WOOKEY
2 miles W of Wells off the A371
A Burcott Mill
A rare and historic working watermill, Burcott
Mill has its origins in pre-Domesday times.
Visitors can see stone-ground flour being
handmade and join a tour led by the miller
himself. The site also has an adventure
playground, country tearoom, pets and picnic
area, a pottery. And B&B accommodation.
WEDMORE
7 miles W of Wells on the B3139
A Ashton Windmill
This remote village was the ancient capital of
the Somerset marshes. King Alfred is said to
have brought the newly baptised Danish King
Guthrum to sign the Peace of Wedmore here
in AD878. This treaty left Wessex in Alfreds
hands but gave East Anglia, East Mercia and
the Kingdom of York to the Danes. The
villages main street, the Borough, is lined
with fine stone buildings, including a lovely
old coaching inn. The parish churchs
spectacular Norman south doorway is
thought to have been carved by the
craftsmen who built Wells Cathedral.
To the northwest of the village, near Chapel
Allerton, is Ashton Windmill. It was built in
the 1700s and has an unusual upturned boat-
style roof. The site provides wonderful views
over Cheddar Gorge and the Somerset levels.
WOOKEY HOLE
1 miles NW of Wells off the A371
D Great Cave D Ebbor Gorge
Throughout the centuries, the carboniferous
limestone core of the Mendip Hills has been
PRIDDY GOOD FARM SHOP
Townsend Farm, Priddy, nr Wells, Somerset BA5 3BP
Tel: 01749 870171
website: www.priddygoodmeat.co.uk
Priddy Good Farm Shop is a family-run enterprise located on
Townsend Farm, where the Simmons family have farmed for
over 300 years. Will and Jo, who know many of their
customers personally, supply high-quality produce that
includes beef and lamb raised on their 400-acre farm, and locally sourced pork and poultry, all with
full traceability and minimum food miles. Beside the cuts and joints they sell top-notch burgers,
and their own prize-winning sausage rolls, pies and pastries. The shop also sells a wide variety of
fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy produce, pickles and preserves and baked goods. Open from
Monday - Saturday 8am to 5pm and Sunday 8am - 12.30pm. Plans for 2011 include opening a
caf-tea room.
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gradually dissolved away by the small amount
of carbonic acid in rainwater. This erosion has
created more than 25 caverns around Wookey
Hole, of which only the largest half dozen or
so are open to the public. The Great Cave
contains a rock formation known as the Witch
of Wookey that casts a ghostly shadow and is
associated with gruesome legends of child-
eating. During prehistoric times, lions, bears
and woolly mammoths lived in the area. In a
recess known as the Hyenas Den, a large
cache of bones has been found, many of them
showing signs of other animals tooth marks.
The river emerging from Wookey Hole, the
River Axe, has been harnessed to provide
power since the 15th century, and the present
building here was originally constructed in the
early 17th century as a paper mill.
Just to the northwest runs the dramatic
Ebbor Gorge, now a National Nature
Reserve managed by English Nature. There
are two walks here, the shorter one suitable for
wheelchairs accompanied by a strong pusher.
The longer walk involves a certain amount of
rock scrambling. However, the hard work is
rewarded as there is a wealth of wildlife here,
including badger and sparrow hawk in the
woodland, lesser horseshoe bats in and around
the caves and buzzards flying overhead.
CHEDDAR
8 miles NW of Wells on the A371
D Cheddar Gorge D Paveys Lookout Tower
B Cheddar Man & Cannibal Museum
This sprawling village is best known for its
dramatic limestone gorge, Cheddar Gorge (see
panel opposite), which extends for some two
miles and is one of the most famous and most
often visited of Britains natural attractions. It is
characterised by its high vertical cliffs, from
which there are outstanding views out over the
Somerset Levels, the Quantock Hills and, on a
clear day, across the Bristol Channel to South
Wales. The National Trust owns most of the
land around this magnificent ravine, which is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest. Numerous
rare plants grow here and it is also a haven for
butterflies. A circular walk through the area
takes in plantations, natural woodland and
rough downland. This is a place that draws
rock climbers, but the less ambitious may like
to take the 274 steps of Jacobs Ladder that
lead from the bottom of the gorge to the top
of the cliffs. Here, Paveys Lookout Tower
offers yet more spectacular views of the
surrounding area.
While the gorge is undoubtedly everyones
idea of Cheddar, the village is also renowned
for its caves and, of course, its cheese.
Although much embellished by modern
tourist paraphernalia, its two main show
caves, Goughs Cave an underground
cathedral and the brilliantly coloured Coxs
Ebbor Gorge
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Cave, are both worth seeing for their sheer
scale and spectacular calcite formations. In
1903 an almost complete skeleton, named
Cheddar Man, was discovered in Goughs
Cave and this can be seen in the Cheddar
Man & Cannibal Museum, along with
cannibalised human skulls and flint tools.
There are demonstrations of Stone Age
survival skills and some intriguing cave art.
The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company is the
only cheesemaker left in Cheddar itself.
Visitors can watch the various stages as rich,
local milk is turned into award-winning
authentic Cheddar cheese. After seeing cheese
being made you can treat yourself to a free
taste at the taster bar and then visit the shop
where the companys Cheddars are on sale
together with local pickles, biscuits, hand-
crafted cheese dishes, cheese knives and more.
Back in 1726, Daniel Defoe was already
singing the praises of Cheddars most famous
product. Without all dispute, he wrote,
Cheddar is the best cheese that England
affords, if not that the whole world affords.
Today, in south Somerset alone, some
50 tonnes of Cheddar cheese is produced each
day by nine cheese-makers. The original
unpasteurised handmade farmhouse Cheddar
Cheddar Caves & Gorge
Cheddar, Somerset, BS27 3QF
Tel: 01934 742343
e-mail: caves@visitcheddar.co.uk
website: www.cheddarcaves.co.uk.
Cheddar Gorge, a place of wild and rugged beauty, is a
karst limestone and calcareous grassland Nature Reserve
and home to many rare plants and animals, including
endangered Greater Horseshoe bats. Cheddar Caves,
inhabited by our ancestors up to 40,000 years ago, were
re-discovered by Messrs Gough & Cox, enterprising
Victorian showmen, and are world famous for their
spectacular stalactite and stalagmite decorations, whose
beautiful colours are mirrored in pools of water. Easy-to-
use audio-guides tell the story of the caves formation and
discovery. These caves also fired the imagination of JRR
Tolkien, author of the trilogy Lord of the Rings, on his
honeymoon visit in 1916. The Crystal Quest, the dark-walk fantasy adventure, creates a
similar world of elven magic and bold adventure underground.
The Museum of Pre-history, Cheddar Man & the Cannibals, explores 40,000 years of
British Pre-history, with demonstrations of Stone Age survival skills and beautiful cave art.
Here you can discover the truth about why our Homo sapiens ancestors, throughout the
world for most of pre-history, were cannibals.
From April to September, an open-top double-decker bus takes you on a sight-seeing tour
through Cheddar Gorge, beneath rocky pinnacles rising sheer above you, the home of
Peregrine falcons. There are 274 steps to reach a Lookout Tower for stunning views of this
limestone countryside, then a 3-mile cliff-top walk right around Britains biggest Gorge,
climbing 400ft above the road, through this internationally important Nature Reserve.
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is still produced on just two farms:
Montgomerys in North Cadbury, and Keens
near Wincanton. Their round half-
hundredweight cheeses are wrapped in muslin,
kept for more than a year and turned regularly
as they mature. The result is Cheddar cheese at
its most perfect.
Since the term Cheddar Cheese refers to a
recipe and not a place, the cheese can be made
anywhere in the world. Somerset itself is
dotted with cheese manufacturers of various
sizes and a number of these establishments
supplement their income by offering guided
tours, cheese demonstrations and catering
facilities for the many visitors who come to
gorge on the local speciality.
CHARTERHOUSE
9 miles NW of Wells off the B3134
D Mendips D Black Down
Rising, in some places, to more than 1000 feet
above sea level, the Mendips form a
landscape that is like no other in the region.
Although hard to imagine today, lead and
silver were once mined from these picturesque
uplands. The Mendip lead-mining activity was
centred around the remote village of
Charterhouse the last mine in the district, at
Priddy, closed in 1908.
Charterhouse takes its name from a
Carthusian monastery, Witham Priory, which
owned one of the four Mendip mining
sectors, or liberties. This area has been known
for its mineral deposits since the Iron Age and
such was its importance that the Romans
declared the mines here state property within
just six years of their arrival in Britain. Under
their influence, silver and lead ingots, or pigs,
were exported to France and to Rome. The
settlement grew into a sizable town with its
own fort and amphitheatre, the remains of
which can still be seen today. Centuries later,
improved technology allowed the original
seams to be reworked and the area is now
littered with abandoned mine buildings and
smelting houses.
A footpath from Charterhouse church leads
up onto Black Down, which is, at 1067 feet,
the highest point in the Mendips. From here,
to the northwest, the land descends down into
Burrington Combe, a deep cleft said to have
inspired the Rev Augustus Toplady to write
the hymn Rock of Ages.
AXBRIDGE
10 miles NW of Wells off the A371
A King Johns Hunting Lodge G Frankie Howerd
A small town with a delightful centre,
Axbridge is now a conservation area. In its
ancient market square stands an exceptional
example of a half-timbered merchants house
dating from around 1500. Three storeys high
and known as King Johns Hunting Lodge
(National Trust), the building was extensively
restored in the early 1970s and is now home to
an excellent Local History Museum. Although
the Lodge has nothing to do with King John
or hunting, its name is a reminder that the
Mendip hills were once a royal hunting
ground. Elsewhere in the centre of Axbridge
there are many handsome Georgian shops and
town houses.
Back in 1960, the town was by-passed and
to celebrate the liberation of the medieval
square and narrow streets from traffic, the
town organised a pageant re-enacting its
fascinating history. This has since become a
traditional event, celebrated every 10 years.
The two-hour spectacular costume drama
in which some 500 people take part will
next take place over the August Bank
Holiday, 2020.
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About a mile west of Axbridge, near the
village of Cross, is an unusual attraction. The
late comedian Frankie Howerd lived in a
cottage here for many years and, since he was
a great hoarder, the cottage was full of
hundreds of scripts, photographs and props,
along with a pair of swords used in the film
Cleopatra (a gift from Richard Burton and
Elizabeth Taylor), two stone cats from
Laurence Olivier, and a fossilised egg
presented to Frankie by the Italian
government after he starred in the film
Up Pompeii.
In May 2008, the four-bedroom, pink
cottage was put up for sale with an asking
price of 800,000. The thousands of items of
memorabilia, including Frankies toupee, were
available as optional extras for an additional
600,000. The property was acquired by the
Frankie Howerd OBE Trust, but it is not clear
whether it will re-open to the public.
Bristol
C Castle Park A Bristol Cathedral
C Floating Harbour A Clifton Suspension Bridge
B Museum of Bristol I At Bristol
E Blue Reef Aquarium
G Isambard Kingdom Brunel I Theatre Royal
B Maritime Heritage Centre D Redcliffe Caves
A Church of St Mary Radcliffe A Goldney Grotto
A John Wesleys Chapel
B City Museum & Art Gallery A Cabot Tower
E Avon Gorge Nature Reserve
E Bristol Zoo Gardens
Bristol was Sir John Betjemans favourite
English city. It had, he said the finest
architectural heritage of any city outside
London. Today it is also one of Britains
most vibrant and stimulating cities and offers
a fascinating combination of grand buildings,
reverberant history and contemporary
creativity.
Situated at a strategically important bridging
point at the head of the Avon gorge, Bristol
was founded in Saxon times and soon became a
major port and market centre. By the early 11th
century, it had its own mint and was trading
with other ports throughout western Europe,
Wales and Ireland. The Normans quickly
realised the importance of the port and, in
1067, began to build a massive stone keep.
Although the castle was all but destroyed at the
end of the English Civil War, the site of the
fortification remains as Castle Park.
Situated just to the west of the castle site
stands Bristol Cathedral, founded in around
1140 by Robert Fitzhardinge as the great
church of an Augustinian abbey. While the
abbey no longer exists, several original
Norman features, such as the chapter house,
gatehouse and the east side of the abbey
cloisters, remain. Following the Dissolution in
1539, Henry VIII took the unusual step of
elevating the abbey church to a cathedral and,
soon after, the richly-carved choir stalls were
added. However, the building was not fully
completed until the 19th century, when a new
nave was built. Among the cathedrals
Bristol Cathedral
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treasures is a pair of candlesticks donated in
1712 by the rescuers of Alexander Selkirk, the
castaway on whom Daniel Defoe based his
hero Robinson Crusoe.
During the Middle Ages, Bristol expanded
as a trading centre and, at one time, it was
second only to London as a seaport. Its trade
was built on the export of raw wool and
woollen cloth from the Mendip and Cotswold
Hills, and the import of wines from Spain and
southwest France. It was around this time that
the citys first major wharf development took
place when the River Frome was diverted
from its original course into a wide artificial
channel now known as St Augustines Reach.
A remarkable achievement for its day, the
excavation created over 500 yards of new
berthing and was crucial in the citys
development. Later, in the early 19th century,
the harbour was further increased when a
semi-artificial waterway, the Floating
Harbour, was created by diverting the course
of the River Avon to the south. Another huge
feat of engineering, the work took over five
years to complete and was largely carried out
by Napoleonic prisoners of war using only
picks and shovels. Today, the main docks have
moved downstream to Avonmouth and the
Floating Harbour has become home port to a
wide assortment of pleasure and small
working craft.
Much of Bristols waterfront has now been
redeveloped for recreation. Down on the
harbourside is At Bristol, one of Britains
largest and most exciting hands-on centres of
science and discovery. There are more than
300 hands-on exhibits to explore, as well as live
shows and a Planetarium. Close by, on
Harbourside, the Blue Reef Aquarium
transports visitors to the spectacular
underwater gardens of the Mediterranean
and the stunning beauty of tropical waters -
home to everything from seahorses and puffer
fish, to living corals and tropical sharks. Other
displays reveal the diversity of the aquatic
world with naturally themed mangrove,
tropical rainforest and fast-moving river
habitats alongside open-top tanks, caves,
wooden walkways and bridges.
The aquarium hosts a programme of free
daily events including entertaining talks and
feeding displays as well as the awesome IMAX
Cinema that will take you on an immersive
3D journey.
Also in the old port area is the Bristol
Industrial Museum, which is currently
undergoing an extensive refurbishment and
will re-open as the Museum of Bristol in
2011. It will present a fascinating record of
the achievements of the citys industrial and
commercial pioneers, including those with
household names such as Harvey (wines and
sherries), McAdam (road building), Wills
(tobacco) and Fry (chocolate). Visitors will
also find out about the ports history, view the
aircraft and aero engines that have been made
here since 1910 and inspect some of the many
famous vehicles that have borne the Bristol
name since Victorian times.
Another famous name, that of the engineer
and inventor Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is
closely associated with the city. His graceful
Clifton Suspension Bridge soars 200 feet
Clifton Suspension Bridge
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above the Avon gorge to the west of the city
centre. Opened in 1864, five years after the
death of its designer, the bridge continues to be
a major route into the city and provides
magnificent views over Bristol and the
surrounding countryside. Brunels mighty SS
Great Britain, the worlds first iron-hulled
passenger liner was launched in 1843 and is
now berthed in a dry dock in the harbour. It
forms part of the Maritime Heritage Centre,
dedicated to the history of shipbuilding in
Bristol. One exhibit tells Brunels compelling
and entertaining life story, including his
strengths and achievements, failures and faults.
And if you arrive in the city by train from
London you will have travelled along the route
Brunel engineered for the Great Western
Railway. He also designed every one of the
bridges and stations along the way, including
Bristols Temple Meads station.
In medieval times, the citys prosperous
merchants gave liberally for the building of
one of the most impressive parish churches in
the country. The Church of St Mary
Redcliffe was described by Queen Elizabeth I
as the fairest, goodliest and most famous
Parish Church in England. Along with its
glorious exterior, the church contains
monuments to Admiral Sir William Penn,
whose son founded the state of Pennsylvania
in the United States, and John Cabot, the
maritime pioneer who in 1497 was the first
non-Scandinavian European to set foot on
Newfoundland. (A replica of the tiny boat,
The Matthew, in which Cabot made his perilous
journey can be seen alongside Brunels
SS Great Britain.) The sandstone beneath St
Marys church is riddled with underground
passages known as the Redcliffe Caves.
There are occasional guided tours of these
unusual natural subterranean caverns.
Another ecclesiastical building of note is
John Wesleys Chapel, the oldest Methodist
building in the world. It was built in 1739 and
remains completely unspoilt. Visitors can
explore the preachers rooms above the chapel,
stand in Wesleys pulpit and see his preaching
gown, riding whip and bed.
Elsewhere in the city are The Red Lodge,
the only remaining Tudor domestic interior in
Bristol, which also has a lovely walled garden
with a re-created Elizabethan-style knot
garden; and the elegant Georgian House in
Great George Street, which was built in 1791.
This is one of the most complete 18th-century
townhouses to have survived in Britain, its
four floors all fully furnished and providing a
fascinating insight into life at that time both
above and below stairs.
The city is also home to one of the oldest
theatres in the country to still be in use. The
Theatre Royal was built in the 1760s and is the
SS Great Britain
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home of the famous Bristol Old Vic theatre
company. Backstage tours are available.
Next to the University, the City Museum
and Art Gallery occupies a magnificent
building, which contains no fewer than seven
art galleries as well as temporary exhibitions. It
also houses important collections of minerals
and fossils, eastern art, world wildlife,
Egyptology, archaeology and some exceptional
Chinese glass.
Standing high on Brandon Hill above the
harbour, the 150 metre-high Cabot Tower
was built in 1897 to commemorate the 400th
anniversary of John Cabots voyage to
Newfoundland. For the energetic, theres a
spiral staircase inside leading to the top from
where there are astounding views across the
city and harbour.
The land just to the west of the Clifton
Suspension Bridge is now the Avon Gorge
Nature Reserve and there are some delightful
walks here through Leigh Woods up to the
summit of an Iron Age hill fort. On the eastern
side of the gorge an old snuff mill has been
converted into an observatory whose
attractions include a camera obscura. Once a
genteel suburb, Clifton is now an attractive
residential area of elegant Georgian terraces.
Here, too, is Goldney House, now a university
hall, but also the home of the unique
subterranean folly, Goldney Grotto, which
dates from the 1730s. The walls of this fantastic
labyrinth, filled with spectacular rock
formations, foaming cascades and a marble
statue of Neptune, are covered with thousands
of seashells and Bristol diamonds, fragments of
a rare quartz found in the Avon gorge.
Clifton is also home to Bristol Zoo
Gardens, which cares for more than 400 exotic
and endangered species. Its Monkey Jungle
provodes an immersive forest experience where
monkeys mingle with gorillas, and visitors can
enjoy close-up walk-through encounters with
lemurs. A new addition for the summer of
2008 is the Butterfly Forest featuring
spectacular butterfly and moth species from
across the world.
Around Bristol
CHEW MAGNA
6 miles S of Bristol on the B3130
A Church House C Stanton Drew
F The Wedding C Wansdyke
E Blagdon Lake E Chew Valley Lake
Situated just to the north of Chew Valley Lake,
this former wool village is a pleasant place with
some handsome Georgian houses. The nucleus
of the village is its three-sided green whose
surrounding shops and pubs are linked by an
unusual raised stone pavement. At the top of
the green is the striking early 16th-century
Church House that was originally intended to
be the venue for the annual church sales and for
brewing the ale and baking the bread to be sold
on these occasions. The funds raised at this
event were used to maintain the parish church
for the coming year. These church houses,
built in the 15th or early 16th century, were
mainly confined to the counties of Somerset
and Devon. Close by is the impressive parish
Church of St Andrew, a testimony to the
former prosperity of this village. Inside can
be seen the interesting double effigy of Sir
John Loe, a 15th-century local squire reputed
to be seven feet tall. Behind a high wall
adjacent to the churchyard stands Chew
Court, a former summer palace of the
bishops of Bath and Wells.
Just to the east of the village is Stanton
Drew, an ancient settlement that stands
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beside a prehistoric site of some importance
a series of stone circles over half a mile
across that were constructed by the Bronze
Age Beaker people between 2000 and
1600BC. This complex of standing stones
consists of three circles, a lone stone known
as Hautevilles Quoit and a large chambered
burial tomb called The Cove. The stones are
composed of three different types of rock:
limestone, sandstone and conglomerate. They
are thought to have been erected for
religious, or perhaps astronomical, purposes.
In common with many stone circles in
western Britain, the origins of this stone
circle are steeped in legend. The most
widespread tale tells of a foolhardy wedding
party who wanted to continue dancing into
the Sabbath. At midnight, the piper refused
to carry on, prompting the infuriated bride to
declare that if she had to, she would get a
piper from hell. At that point, another piper
stepped forward to volunteer his services and
the party resumed its dancing. As the music
got louder and louder and the tempo faster
and faster, the dancers realised, too late, that
the good-natured piper was the Devil
himself. When his playing reached its
terrifying climax, he turned
the whole party to stone. To
this day, this curious group of
standing stones is still known
as The Wedding.
A couple of miles to the
north of Stanton Drew, the
line of the ancient Wansdyke
runs in a roughly east-west
direction around the southern
fringes of Bristol. Built during
the Dark Ages as a boundary
line and defensive barrier
against the Saxons, short
sections of this great earthwork bank can still
be seen, notably at Maes Knoll and along the
ridge adjoining the Iron Age hill fort on
Stantonbury Hill.
To the south of Chew Magna are two
reservoirs constructed to supply Bristol with
fresh water, but which also provide a first-
class recreational amenity. The smaller
Blagdon Lake was completed in 1899 and
Chew Valley Lake in 1956. Together they
have around 15 miles of shoreline and attract
visitors from a wide area who come to fish,
take part in water sports and observe the
wide variety of waterfowl and other bird life
that is drawn to this appealing habitat.
BARROW GURNEY
5 miles SW of Bristol on the B3130
Before the construction of the reservoirs of
Blagdon and Chew Valley, Bristols fresh water
came from the three small reservoirs at Barrow
Gurney. The first was opened in 1852, but
within two years it developed a leak and had to
be drained, causing a serious disruption to the
citys water supply. Like many of the villages to
the southwest of Bristol, Barrow Gurney has
undergone considerable change since World
Stanton Drew Stone Circles
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War Two and is now becoming a dormitory
settlement for the citys commuters.
CONGRESBURY
13 miles SW of Bristol on the A370
F St Congar
This sizeable village, which today appears to
be just another commuter town, has a long
and eventful history that goes back to Roman
times. Around 2000 years ago a settlement
stood here at the end of a spur of the
Somerset marshes. Fragments of Roman and
pre-Saxon pottery have been found on the
ancient hill that overlooks the present village.
The early Celtic missionary, St Congar, is
believed to have founded an early wattle
chapel at Congresbury in the 6th century. A
tree bound by an iron hoop, on the eastern
side of the church, is still referred to as St
Congars Walking Stick. This is reputed to
have grown from the saints staff that
miraculously sprouted leaves after he had
thrust it into the ground outside the chapel.
CLEVEDON
15 miles SW of Bristol on the B3133
A Clevedon Pier J Poets Walk
A Clevedon Court
Clevedon was developed in the late 18th and
early 19th-century as a resort, but the lack of a
railway prevented the town from expanding
further. It was overtaken by Weston-super-
Mare as the leading seaside town along this
stretch of coast. As a result there are few of
the attractions that are normally associated
with a holiday resort. A notable exception is
Clevedon Pier, a remarkably slim and elegant
structure that was built in the 1860s from iron
rails intended for Brunels ill-considered South
Wales Railway. When part of the pier
PANACHE HOME
ACCESSORIES & GIFTS
53 Hill Road, Clevedon,
Somerset BS21 7PD
Tel: 01275 877955
e-mail: sue_panache@btinternet.com
Clevedon is a quiet, pleasant resort complete with a promenade and
a Grade 1 listed pier. The railway in Victorian times brought wealth
and employment to the town the legacy of which is some fine
architecture and a distinctive seafront.
A short walk from the pier is a road full of interesting shops; Sue
Kellys Panache is the place in town for home accessories and gifts.
Behind its cheerful green awning Sue has assembled a hand picked
selection of accessories for the home, including fabrics, wallpapers,
decorative textiles and gifts to suit all occasions and purses. There
are elegant table settings, glass and ceramic pieces that are both
functional and attractive, stylish cushions and throws, lamps, photo
frames, clocks and a large selection of stunning silk flowers. The
stock is changing constantly so every visit is certain to reveal new
and interesting ideas for the home. Sue also offers a curtain making
service in the Clevedon area.
Panache is open 9.30am to 5.00pm Monday to Saturday.
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collapsed in the 1970s, its long term future
looked bleak but, following an extensive
restoration programme, the pier is now the
landing stage, during the summer, for large
pleasure steamers such as the Balmoral and the
Waverley, the only surviving sea-going paddle
steamers in the world.
Beginning at Clevedon promenade and
leading up to Church and Wains Hills is the
Poets Walk, a flower-lined footpath that is
said to have been popular with Victorian
poets. On the top of Wains Hill, are the
remains of an Iron Age coastal fort, from
which walkers can look out over the town, the
Somerset Levels and the Severn Estuary.
The towns major attraction is Clevedon
Court (National Trust), an outstanding
14th-century manor house. One of the earliest
surviving country houses in Britain, Clevedon
preserves many of its original 14th century
features still intact, and incorporates a massive
12th-century tower and a 13th-century great
hall. Once partly fortified, this imposing manor
house has been the home of the Elton family
since 1709. As long standing patrons of the
arts, the family invited many of the countrys
finest poets and writers to Clevedon in the early
1800s. These included Coleridge, Tennyson and
Thackeray. It was while staying here that
Thackeray fell in love with one of his hosts
daughters, Mrs Brookfield. He was to spend
some time here seeing her and writing Vanity
Fair. Another member of the Elton family was
Arthur Hallam, a student friend of Lord
Tennyson who showed great promise as a poet
but who died very young. Tennyson was
devastated by his friends untimely death and
sought to assuage his grief by writing the great
elegiac poem In Memoriam, AHH, which was
published in 1850.
Although the Elton family is closely
associated with literature, one member of the
family in the Victorian era invented a special
technique for making the type of brightly
coloured pottery that was to become known as
Eltonware. It was particularly popular in the
United States. There are many fine examples
on display in the house, along with a collection
of rare glass from the works at Nailsea.
Clevedon Court is is surrounded by beautiful
18th-century terraced gardens. A footpath
leads through nearby woodland on to a ridge
overlooking the low and once marshy
Gordano valley.
BANWELL
D Bone Caves A Puxton Church
This pleasant village was once the site of a
Saxon monastery and the parish church here is
Puxton Park, Hewish, Weston-Super-Mare, BS24 6AH
Tel 01934 523507
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certainly ancient. Banwell Castle, on the other
hand, although it looks like an authentic
medieval fortress, is in fact a Victorian
mansion house now converted into a hotel.
Just to the west of the village, on Banwell Hill,
a remarkable discovery was made in 1821. A
series of caverns were found containing the
remains of prehistoric animals including
bison, bear and reindeer. They are now known
as the Bone Caves.
A couple of miles north of Banwell is the
village of Puxton, noted for its eccentric
church tower that leans at such an angle that it
looks as if it might topple at any moment,
causing its weathercock to nosedive into the
churchyard.
WESTON-SUPER-MARE
A Grand Pier E Seaquarium D Sand Point
B North Somerset Museum J Mendip Way
B Helicopter Museum C Worlebury Camp
This traditional seaside resort, whose greatest
asset is undoubtedly its vast expanse of sandy
beach, has in recent years also developed as a
centre of light industry. As late as 1811,
Weston was a fishing hamlet with
just 170 residents. Within 100
years, it had grown to become the
second largest town in Somerset
and today has a resident
population of around 70,000.
The commercial development of
Weston began in the 1830s around
the Knightstone, an islet joined
to the shore at the northern end of
the bay, and here were eventually
built a large theatre and swimming
baths. The arrival of the railway in
1841 stimulated the towns rapid
expansion and, in 1867, a pier was
built on the headland below Worlebury Camp
connecting Birnbeck Island with the mainland.
Intended as a berth for steamer traffic, the pier
was found to be slightly off the tourist track.
Later, a more impressive pier was built nearer
the town centre. Refurbished and extended,
the Grand Pier was re-opened in July 2010
and now stands at the centre of an area
crammed with souvenir shops, ice cream
parlours, cafs and assorted attractions that are
part and parcel of a British seaside resort.
There are also the indoor attractions of the
Winter Gardens, along the seafront, and the
fascinating, family-friendly North Somerset
Museum.
For anyone wishing to explore Weston on
foot, the Museum Trail begins on the seafront
and follows a trail of carved stones created by
the artist Michael Fairfax. The Seaquarium
has more than 30 intriguing marine displays,
along with feeding times and demonstrations
to amuse the whole family.
An excellent viewpoint to the north of the
resort is Sand Point, a ridge overlooking a
lonely salt marsh that is home to a wide
variety of wading birds. At the southern end
of Weston Bay, another spectacular view
Weston-Super-Mare Beach
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opens up from the clifftop site of the semi-
ruined church at Uphill. This village lies at
the start of the sometimes demanding
Mendip Way, a 50-mile footpath that takes
in the whole length of the Mendip Hills,
including the broad vale of the Western
Mendips, the high plateau of the central part
and the wooded valleys in the eastern region.
Just to the southeast of the town is Weston
Airport, home to the worlds largest collection
of helicopters and autogyros. The only
museum in Britain dedicated to rotary wing
aircraft, The Helicopter Museum has more
than 70 helicopters with exhibits ranging from
single-seater autogyros to multi-passenger
helicopters. Visitors can see displays on the
history and development of these flying
machines and a conservation hangar where the
aircraft are restored. Grown-ups can take a
Helicopter Experience Flight; under-12s can
stage a rescue in the Lynx helicopter play area.
The area around Weston has been inhabited
since prehistoric times. The wooded
promontory at the northern end of Weston
Bay was the site of a sizeable Iron Age hill
settlement known as Worlebury Camp. In the
1st century AD this is said to have been
captured by the Romans after a bloody battle.
Recent excavations, which revealed a number
of skeletons showing the effects of sword
damage, provided confirmation. A pleasant
walk from the town centre now leads up
through attractive woodland to this ancient
hilltop site from where there are magnificent
views out across the mouth of the River
Severn to Wales.
WRAXALL
6 miles W of Bristol on the B3128
A Tyntesfield E Noahs Ark Zoo Farm
One of the National Trusts most fascinating
properties, Tyntesfield is an extraordinary
Victorian Gothic Revival house that was home
to four generations of the Gibbs family. The
Gibbs lived on a grand scale and spent
lavishly on opulent furnishings for their
magnificent mansion, including its stunning
private chapel.
When the house was saved for the nation
in June 2002, it needed a huge amount of
conservation work, which still continues with
parts of the house not open to the public.
Visitors are no longer restricted to guided
tours only and can see this work in progress
as they wander at will through the permitted
areas. Outside, there are formal gardens, an
arboretum, walled garden and a working
kitchen garden. Admission to the house is by
timed ticket. Tickets are issued at visitor
reception on arrival and cannot be booked.
Also at Wraxall is Noahs Ark Zoo Farm,
a hands-on real working farm with a rare
collection of more than 100 types of animals,
including meerkats, camels, rhinos, wallabies,
monkeys and giraffes. There are also 12 all-
weather playgrounds and a huge indoor play
barn. Daily events include animal shows, tractor
rides, bird of prey displays and keeper talks.
HENBURY
4 miles NW of Bristol off the A38
A Blaise Castle
In her novel Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen
described Blaise Castle at Henbury as one
of the finest places in England. This
impressive 18th-century house is set in
parkland and boasts a large collection of
everyday objects from the past, including
model trains, dolls and toy soldiers. Theres
also a Victorian schoolroom, picture gallery
and period costumes. Within the estate
grounds is Blaise Hamlet, an impossibly
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picturesque group of nine detached and
individual stone cottages designed in a
romantic rustic style by John Nash in 1809.
The cottages are owned by the National Trust
but are not open to the public.
Bath
A Roman Baths A Thermae Bath Spa
A Bath Abbey G Beau Nash
B Holburne Museum A Royal Crescent
A Pump Room I Theatre Royal
B Museum of East Asian Art A Pulteney Bridge
A Assembly Rooms B Fashion Museum
B Museum of Bath at Work
B Bath Postal Museum G Jane Austen Centre
G Herschel Museum of Astronomy
J Bath Skyline Walk
E Prior Park Landscape Garden
Designated a World Heritage City, Bath is
Britains finest Georgian city, replete with
gracious buildings of which around 5000 are
listed because of their architectural merit. Set
in a sheltered valley, it is surrounded like Rome
by seven hills, which may have been one
reason why the Romans took to it with such
enthusiasm. Another important reason was, of
course, its natural hot springs.
Since time immemorial more than half a
million gallons of water a day, at a constant
temperature of 46C, have bubbled to the
surface at Bath. The ancient Celts believed the
mysterious steaming spring was the domain of
the goddess Sulis and they were aware of the
waters healing powers long before the
invasion of the Romans. However, it was the
Romans who first enclosed the spring and
went on to create a spectacular health resort
that became known as Aquae Sulis. By the 3rd
century, Bath had become so renowned that
high ranking soldiers and officials were
coming here from all over the Roman Empire.
Public buildings and temples were constructed
and the whole city was enclosed by a stone
wall. By AD410, the last remaining Roman
legions had left and, within a few years, the
drainage systems failed and the area returned
to marshland. Ironically, the ancient baths
remained hidden throughout the entire period
of Baths 18th-century renaissance and were
only discovered in the late 19th century. The
restored Roman remains can be seen today.
They centre around the Roman Baths, a
rectangular lead-lined pool standing at the
centre of a complex system of buildings that
took over 200 years to complete. It comprised
a swimming pool, mineral baths and a series
of chambers heated by underfloor air ducts.
One hundred yards from the Great Bath,
the Thermae Bath Spa opened in the
summer of 2006. Visitors can bathe in the
natural thermal waters that the Romans
enjoyed almost 2000 years ago. Theres a
spectacular rooftop pool, an innovative series
of steam rooms, and an extensive range of spa
treatments are available.
In a city crammed with beautiful buildings,
Bath Abbey is still outstanding. The present
great church was begun in 1499, after its
Norman predecessor had been destroyed by
fire. Building work was halted at the time of
the Dissolution in the 1540s and the church
remained without a roof for 75 years. It was
not finally completed until 1901. It is now
considered to be the ultimate example of
English Perpendicular church architecture.
Inside, there is a memorial to Richard
Beau Nash, one of the people responsible
for turning Bath into a fashionable Georgian
spa town. Prior to Nashs arrival in the early
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18th century, Bath was a squalid place with
farm animals roaming the streets within the
confines of the old Roman town.
Notwithstanding, the town had continued to
attract small numbers of rich and aristocratic
people. Eventually, the town authorities took
action to improve sanitation and their initiative
was rewarded in 1702, when Queen Anne paid
Baths spa a visit. The elegant and stylish Beau
Nash, who had only come to the town to earn
a living as a gambler, became the Master of
Ceremonies and, under his leadership, the
town became a relaxing place for the elegant
and fashionable of the days high society.
Among the entrepreneurs and architects who
shared Nashs vision was the architect John
Wood who, along with his son, designed many
of the citys fine neoclassical squares and
terraces. Among these is the Royal Crescent,
John Wood the Youngers Palladian
masterpiece and one of the first terraces in
Britain to be built to an elliptical design. It has
now been designated a World Heritage
Building. Open to the public, No 1 Royal
Crescent has been restored, redecorated and
furnished so that it appears as it might have
done when it was first built.
Baths other 18th-century
founding father was Ralph
Allen, an entrepreneur who
made his first fortune
developing an efficient
postal system for the
provinces, and who went
on to make a second as the
owner of the local quarries
that supplied most of the
honey-coloured Bath stone
to the citys Georgian
building sites.
Famed for its wealth of
Georgian architecture, Bath is a delightful city
to wander around. Beside the original Roman
Baths is the Pump Room, which looks much
as it did when it was completed in 1796. The
Theatre Royal is one of Britains oldest and
most beautiful theatres and offers a year-round
programme of top quality drama, opera, dance
and frequent Sunday concerts. Spanning the
River Avon, in the centre of the city, is the
magnificent Pulteney Bridge, designed by
Robert Adam and inspired by Florences Ponte
Vecchio with its built-in shops.
The National Trust-owned Assembly
Rooms, one of the places where polite 18th-
century society met to dance, play cards or just
be seen, were severely damaged during World
War Two and not re-opened until 1963. They
now incorporate the interesting Fashion
Museum with a collection of more than
30,000 original items illuminating the vagaries
of fashion over the past 400 years.
This is just one of the citys many excellent
museums. Currently closed for refurbishment
and not due to re-open until 2011, the
Holburne Museum is housed in one of the
citys finest examples of Georgian architecture
and set in beautiful gardens. Originally a spa
Royal Crescent
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hotel, it was converted into a museum in the
early 20th century and now contains the
superb collection of decorative and fine art
put together by Sir William Holburne in the
19th century. Landscapes by Turner and
Guardi, and portraits by Stubbs, Ramsey,
Raeburn, Zoffany and Gainborough, are
among its many treasures. The Museum of
Bath at Work holds a fascinating collection
that chronicles the citys unique architectural
evolution; the Museum of East Asian Art
displays artefacts from China, Japan, Korea and
Southeast Asia; and the Bath Postal Museum
illustrates 4000 years of communication from
clay-mail to e-mail and has a reconstruction
of a Victorian sorting office.
The city is closely associated with Jane
Austen and her novels and, at the Jane
Austen Centre, enthusiasts can learn more
about the Bath of her time and the
importance of the city to her life and works.
Another famous resident is celebrated at the
Herschel Museum of Astronomy, which
occupies the mid-Georgian house where the
famous astronomer and musician lived in the
late 1700s and where he made his discovery of
the planet Uranus.
An ideal way to gather a
general impression of this
magnificent city is to take the
Bath Skyline Walk, an eight-
mile footpath, through National
Trust-owned land, taking in
some superb landscaped
gardens and woodland to the
southeast of the city and from
where there are extensive views
out over Bath. The most
striking feature of the skyline is
Beckfords Tower, which was
built for the eccentric William
Beckford in 1827. There are yet more
magnificent views of the city from another
National Trust property, Prior Park
Landscape Garden, which is just a 10-minute
walk or short bus ride from the city centre
there is no parking at the garden itself. Within
the beautiful grounds of this intimate 18th-
century garden are three lakes set in sweeping
valleys, and a famous Palladian bridge, one of
only four of its kind in the world.
Around Bath
DYRHAM
7 miles N of Bath off the A46
A Dyrham Park
Set in an extensive deer park just minutes
from the M4, Dyrham Park (National Trust)
is a spectacular Baroque mansion containing a
fabulous collection of 17th-century
furnishings, textiles, paintings and Delftware
reflecting the taste for Dutch fashions at the
time it was built. Visitors can wander round
the park with its woodlands and formal
garden, and discover how Victorian servants
worked below stairs.
Deer at Dyrham Park
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BATHFORD
3 miles NE of Bath off the A363
A Eagle House A Browns Folly
C Bathampton Down
This residential community once belonged to
Bath Abbey. Among the many fine 18th-
century buildings to be seen here is Eagle
House, a handsome residence that takes its
name from the great stone eagle that stands
with its wings outstretched on the gabled roof.
On the hill above Bathford, there is a tall
Italianate tower known as Browns Folly built
following the Napoleonic Wars to provide
local craftsmen with work during the
economic depression of the 1830s.
To the west lies Bathampton whose church
is the last resting place of Admiral Arthur
Phillip, the first governor of New South
Wales, who took the initial shipload of
convicts out to the colony and established
the settlement of Sydney. He is regarded by
some as the founder of modern Australia. A
chapel in the south aisle, known as the
Australian Chapel, contains memorials to the
admirals family.
Above the village lies Bathampton Down,
which is crowned with an ancient hillfort that,
according to some historians, was the site of
the 6th-century Battle of Badon in which the
forces of King Arthur defeated the Saxons.
CLAVERTON
2 miles E of Bath on the A36
A Claverton Manor
B American Museum in Britain
Just to the west of the village stands the
16th-century country mansion, Claverton
Manor, bought in 1764 by Ralph Allen, the
quarry-owning co-founder of 18th-century
Bath. The mansion that Allen knew has been
demolished, leaving only a series of
overgrown terraces, but some of the stone
from the old house was used in the
construction of the new mansion on the hill
above the village. It was here, in 1897, that
Sir Winston Churchill is said to have given
his first political speech. Claverton Manor is
best known as the American Museum in
Britain. Founded in 1961, it is the only
establishment of its kind outside the United
States. The rooms of the house have been
furnished to show the gradual changes in
American living styles from the arrival of the
Pilgrim Fathers in the 17th century, to New
York of the 19th century. The arboretum
contains a collection of native American trees
and shrubs.
HINTON PRIORY
3 miles SE of Bath off the B3110
C Stoney Littleton Long Barrow
All that remains of the early Carthusian
monastery founded here by Ela, Countess of
Salisbury, are atmospheric ruins. As in other
religious houses belonging to this order, the
monks occupied their own small dwellings set
around the main cloister, often with a small
garden attached. These communities were
generally known for their reclusiveness.
However, one outspoken monk from Hinton
Priory, Nicholas Hopkins, achieved notoriety in
Tudor times as the confessor and spiritual
adviser to the 3rd Duke of Buckingham and his
story is recounted by Shakespeare in Henry
VIII. Several sections of the old priory remain,
including the chapter house, parts of the guest
quarters and the undercroft of the refectory.
Close by can be found one of the finest
examples of a Neolithic monument in the
west of England, Stoney Littleton Long
Barrow (English Heritage), built more than
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4000 years ago. This striking multi-
chambered tomb has recently been restored
following vandalism and the interior can be
inspected by obtaining a key from nearby
Stoney Littleton Farm.
FARLEIGH HUNGERFORD
5 miles SE of Bath on the A366
A Farleigh Hungerford Castle E The Peto Garden
This old fortified settlement is still overlooked
by the impressive remains of Farleigh
Hungerford Castle that stands on a rise
above the River Frome to the northeast of the
village. It was built by Sir Thomas
Hungerford, the first Speaker of the House of
Commons, on the site of an old manor house
that he acquired in the late 14th century.
Legend has it that Sir Thomas failed to gain
the proper permission from the Crown for his
fortification and this oversight led to his
downfall. The castle changed hands in the
early 18th century and the incoming family
saw it as a quarry for building stone rather
than as a place to live. Much of the castle was
left to go to ruin while the family built a new
mansion on the other side of the village.
Nevertheless, an impressive shell of towers
and perimeter walls has survived intact, along
with the castles Chapel of St Leonard. This
contains a striking 15th-century mural of St
George, some fine stained glass and a number
of interesting monuments, including the tomb
of Sir Thomas Hungerford himself.
To the north, just inside Wiltshire, is Iford
Manor, home to the Peto Garden, a Grade I
listed Italian style garden famed for its tranquil
beauty. A unique hillside garden, it was the
creation of architect and landscape gardener
PITFOUR HOUSE
High Street, Timsbury, nr Bath, Somerset BA2 0HT
Tel: 01761 479554
e-mail: pitfourhouse@btinternet.com
Splendid food, convivial company and truly wonderful
hospitality are to be found at Pitfour House, a
contemporary English experience in a charming listed
Georgian home. Situated in the countryside village of
Timsbury, just 6 miles outside of Bath, Pitfour House
dates from the 1790s and stands back from the High
Street, with a wonderfully mellow stone faade. The
surroundings are so picturesque and rural here it is easy
to forget how close you are to so many great attractions
and cities!
The delicious, expertly cooked modern menu at
Pitfour House includes fresh home grown vegetables from
the beautiful garden (when seasonal) and a wide
selection of personally selected local ingredients. The 2
or 3 course dinners, as well as the hearty breakfasts, are
served in the elegant dining room. Guests are also to
relax during their stay in the cosy sitting room, and take in a little TV, or the even cosier snug, or
enjoy the well maintained gardens, which can seem like a world away from the hustle and bustle
of Bath! The two tastefully decorated bedrooms, one with ensuite shower, the other with a private
bathroom have king size beds with top quality linen and towels providing all the amenities you
need for your stay.
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Harold Peto, who lived at the manor from
1899 until 1933.
NORTON ST PHILIP
5 miles S of Bath on the A366
A George Inn E Norwood Farm
In the 13th century, a group of Carthusian
monks were given some land near here where
they founded a Priory that was completed in
1232. The monks were also responsible for
building the villages most famous landmark,
the splendid George Inn, originally established
as a house of hospitality for those visiting the
priory. A wonderful fusion of medieval
stonework, oriel windows and timber framing,
it is still a hostelry today. The inns timber
framed upper floors were added in the 15th
century when the inn doubled as a warehouse
for storing the locally produced woollen cloth.
In 1668, the diarist Samuel Pepys stayed here
while on his way to Bath with his family and
noted, Dined well. 10 shillings. Just a short
while later, the inn played host to the Duke of
Monmouth, who made the George his
headquarters shortly before his defeat at the
Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. According to a
local story, 12 men implicated in the uprising
were imprisoned here after the battle, in what is
now the Dungeon Bar. They were later taken
away to be hanged, drawn and quartered at the
local market place.
To the north of the village, Norwood
Farm offers an introduction to the objectives
and practicalities of organic farming. A Farm
Walk takes in a recycling area, explains the use
of wind turbines and provides a view of more
than 30 rare and beautiful animal breeds
including Saddleback pigs, Shetland ponies
and Wiltshire Horn sheep. A caf and farm
shop on site make good use of the organic
food produced on the farm.
KEYNSHAM
6 miles NW of Bath on the A4175
E Avon Valley Country Park
A former industrial centre, Keynsham is now
a dormitory town for Bristol. Despite its
modern appearance, it has ancient roots.
During the excavations for a chocolate
factory, the remains of two Roman villas
were discovered. These remains have since
been incorporated into an interesting small
museum near the factory entrance. In the late
12th century, an abbey was founded here,
close to the River Chew, but it seems that the
medieval monks were not as pious as they
should have been. Eventually, they were
banned from keeping sporting dogs, going
out at night, employing private washerwomen
and entertaining female guests in the
monastery. Today, the abbey foundations lie
under the bypass but the part 13th-century
parish church has survived and, along with
being a good example of the Somerset
Gothic architectural style, it contains some
impressive tombs to members of the
Bridges family.
Much later, two large brass mills were
established at Keynsham during the towns
18th-century industrial heyday, one on the
River Avon and the other on the River Chew.
Though production had ceased at both mills
by the late 1920s, they are still impressive
industrial remains.
Just to the east of Keynsham, Avon Valley
Country Park provides a popular day out for
families. Theres a large adventure playground,
indoor play area, friendly animals and pets
corner, falconry displays, boating lake, 1 mile
nature trail walk, mini-steam train rides, land
train rides, quad bikes, picnic and barbecue
area, caf and gift shop.
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ADVERTISERS AND PLACES OF INTEREST
ACCOMMODATION, FOOD AND
DRINK
Ash House Hotel, Ash, Martock pg 47
Clavelshay Barn Restaurant, North Petherton,
Bridgwater pg 33
The Coach House, Alford, Castle Cary pg 52
The Dunster Castle Hotel, Dunster, Minehead pg 14
Emmettss Grange Country House Accommodation,
Simonsbath, Minehead pg 12
Glen Lodge Country House, Porlock, Minehead pg 10
Hartshanger Exmoor Holidays, Porlock,
Minehead pg 8
Olive Tree Delicatessen & Coffee Shop,
Taunton pg 21
Pitfour House, Timsbury, Bath pg 82
Priddy Good Farm Shop, Priddy, Wells pg 65
ACTIVITIES
Cheddar Caves and Gorge, Cheddar pg 67
West Somerset Railway, Minehead pg 6
ANTIQUES AND RESTORATION
Nostalgia At No 1, Shepton Mallet pg 58
ARTS AND CRAFTS
A Touch Of Elegance, Ilminster pg 36
Churchgate Gallery, Porlock, Minehead pg 9
The Courthouse Gallery, Somerton pg 51
Cream Luxury Knitwear, Frome pg 60
The Crooked Window Gallery, Dunster,
Minehead pg 15
Fine Fabrics, Taunton pg 21
Jenny Barton Ceramics at the Enigma Pottery Studio,
Frome pg 60
No 7 Harbour Studios, Porlock Weir, Minehead pg 11
Sea Breeze, Burnham-on-Sea pg 31
FASHIONS
Alpha Exclusive Fashions for Men and Women,
Taunton pg 22
Cream Luxury Knitwear, Frome pg 60
Holly Lane, Castle Cary pg 52
Holly Lane, Wells pg 55
GIFTWARE
Details For The Home, Porlock, Minehead pg 9
Favourite Things - Jewellery and Gifts, Minehead pg 5
Panache Home Accessories & Gifts, Clevedon pg 74
HOME AND GARDEN
Details For The Home, Porlock, Minehead pg 9
Fine Fabrics, Taunton pg 22
No 7 Harbour Studios, Porlock Weir, Minehead pg 11
Panache Home Accessories & Gifts, Clevedon pg 74
JEWELLERY
The Crooked Window Gallery, Dunster,
Minehead pg 15
Favourite Things - Jewellery and Gifts, Minehead pg 5
PLACES OF INTEREST
Cheddar Caves and Gorge, Cheddar pg 67
Cleeve Abbey, Washford, Watchet pg 17
Forde Abbey, Forde Abbey, Chard pg 41
Gaulden Manor Gardens and House,
Lydeard St Lawrence, Taunton pg 27
Glastonbury Abbey, Glastonbury pg 63
Hestercombe Gardens, Cheddon Fitzpaine,
Taunton pg 24
Montacute House, Montacute pg 45
SPECIALIST FOOD AND DRINK
SHOPS
Frome Wholefoods, Frome pg 61
Gerald David & Family, Dulverton pg 14
Gerald David & Family, Hewish,
Weston-super-Mare pg 75
Gerald David & Family, Minehead pg 5
Gerald David & Family, Taunton pg 23
Oates and Musson Fine Foods, Castle Cary pg 53
Olive Tree Delicatessen & Coffee Shop, Taunton pg 21
Priddy Good Farm Shop, Priddy, Wells pg 65
Red Barn Farm Shop, Mudford, Yeovil pg 42
Stuart Lowen Farm Shop, Minehead pg 7
85
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ORDER FORM
To order any of our publications just fill in the payment details below and complete the order form. For orders of less than
4 copies please add 1 per book for postage and packing. Orders over 4 copies are P & P free.
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Guide To Rural England - Somerset

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